The Space Between Dream and Reality
by My Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Fifty: With so much chemistry, of course they would end up together. After all… they'd started off with a bang. #20
1. Believe

**Disclaimer:** This is the only disclaimer I'm going to put up for this collection of drabbles and it'll include all of my drabbles. _-Ahem-_ **I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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**Title: **Believe  
**Prompt: **#15 - circulatory system  
**Pairing:** Natsume x Mikan  
**Genre: **Romance/Family/Hurt

-;-

-;-

"No. You're staying."

He turns away from her furious expression and pushes the curtain away. He looks out the window, watching as the clouds slowly drape over the moon, inch by inch, until there is but a vague half moon impression against its white, silk cloak. The sun set hours ago but the clock hasn't reached the eleventh hour. It isn't time yet.

But the sky is dark.

"You just don't _get _it! I don't care how selfish you think I am, Natsume but mark my words, if you go out on that mission, I swear I'm going with you!"

"No," he repeats firmly, slowly turning to look at her. "You're not. You can't."

She looks ethereal in a loose yellow sun dress with a tiny red sash tied in a bow around her small waist. He's always liked seeing her wear red. His favorite color… she always looked immaculate with the dark shade against her pale skin. Her wavy brown hair is pulled away from her face, tied neatly to the side, spilling down one shoulder with a frame of loose strands framing her face.

"You shouldn't be up this late," he lets go of the curtain. "It's after hours. The Academy might be watching."

"I don't care! I bet that's what you want, huh? To leave while I'm asleep and oblivious to the fact that you're risking your _life _again—" she chokes on her next words and Natsume's rising anger quickly subsides.

But he doesn't move closer to her.

"We only have two months left until graduation, Natsume," she murmurs quietly, looking down at her feet. "What could Persona actually do to you now that we're _this _close?"

He frowns. "You know what Persona's capable of. He won't let me go so easily." Her eyes flash up angrily to meet his. Natsume takes a step forward but stops when she turns her head away resolutely. "It's just another mission. I'll be fine. I always am."

"Fine?!" she exclaims, stomping her foot for emphasis. "How can you even _say _that? You have _no _idea what it feels like waiting for you, afraid to hear that you've died and that you're never going to come back! Do you know how _devastating _that'd be for me?!" Her shoulders shake almost imperceptibly but Natsume catches it easily and his taut muscles slowly loosen.

He walks toward her and cups her cheek, gently tracing her jaw with the pad of his thumb. "You're assuming I'm going to die that easily, Stupid Girl." Her eyes glitter dangerously as she looks up into his face. Something tugs at the strings in his chest before he pulls her small frame into his and wraps her in a soft embrace. There's something large and full in his throat blocking the blood flow in his chest. He's sure of it.

Her shoulders are shaking again. She presses her face against his chest like she wants to meld herself into his body and Natsume rests his chin on the top of her head. "Crying isn't good for her, you know," he strokes her back.

"Not having a father isn't good for her either," her voice is muffled in his shirt.

His anger peaks. "I'm not going to die, Polka Dots. Get that ridiculous thought out of your head."

She pulls back with tears streaking down her cheeks and something inside him staggers at the look on her face. "You really don't get it, Natsume," she replies in a soft voice. "I can't help but worry." She looks up, brown eyes dark, before she traces the seam of his lips with a finger. "When I get out of here and I'm older… when my daughter asks me who my first love was, I don't want to have to pull out a picture of you to show her." Her voice wavers and fresh tears are sliding down her face. She looks down. "… I want to be able to point at _you _and say he's right there."

She chokes on a bitter laugh but he's too busy forcing down the organ in his throat. Something painful in his chest is throbbing.

He brings her face up before pressing a long, urgent kiss to her lips.

Pulling away, Natsume presses her against his chest for another warm hug so that she doesn't see the look on his face. He loves her. He really does. "I'm always going to come home to you. I promise you that." He tips her chin up when he knows the earlier expression is gone from his face. "You know I don't make promises unless I know I can keep them."

"I know," she replies in a quiet voice.

He's about to say something else when his watch sounds. A low curse is wrenched from his throat. There is an anxious expression on her face when he looks at her so he bends to smooth another soft kiss against her lips.

He traces her cheek before putting a foot on the windowsill, "Wait for me."

She puts a hand on her still flat stomach. "We will."

He looks back once more.

And then, he jumps.

* * *

**Writer's Note:**

There won't only be NatsumeMikan stories. There are some SumireKoko, etc too.

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_My Hopeless Romantic_


	2. A Pair for Everything

**Title: **A Pair for Everything**  
Prompt: **#14 - trees**  
Pairing:** Natsume x Mikan**  
Inspiration: **_we were given two hands to hold, two legs to walk and two eyes to see but why only one heart?  
_**Genre: **Romance/Humor

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-;-

"You're smart," Mikan turned slightly in his direction, "—do you know why we don't have two hearts?"

Natsume almost choked on his drink and glared, pressing his back against the tree. The peaceful atmosphere was immediately ruined. "What kind of question is _that_, No-Star?"

She didn't bother reprimanding him for the name. Instead, she twirled the wilted blade of grass around in her fingers in thought, a small, distracted smile on her lips. "I don't know. Don't you find it strange that God gave us two of everything except that?" She turned, bracing herself against the tree to see his profile as they sat on opposite sides of the Sakura tree. "I mean, here we're given two hands, two legs and two eyes. Hearts are important so why didn't God give us two hearts?"

Natsume snorted at her question, "Probably wanted to skimp out on the work."

Mikan rolled her eyes and half-crawled around the tree to sit perpendicular to him. She sent him a look that meant she thought he was being ridiculous and they fell into a thoughtful silence.

"You okay?" said Natsume gruffly.

She pressed her lips together, flicking the blade of grass in the air before ripping another out of the ground. Her forehead creased in sudden thought. "It's just… bothering me, that's all," she trailed off.

"Why?"

She didn't look at him but shrugged her shoulders. After a while, she prodded. "Natsume…" He felt more than heard the strain in her body and it instantly put him on alert. Nothing she said now could possibly be good. What was this crazy girl thinking? "You're sick."

He looked at her sharply and her eyes met his head-on and unabashed. An image of what he must have looked like to her the other day after one of his episodes flickered across his mind. A dark frown settled on his lips. "I told you to forget about that," he drawled dismissively, taking another sip of his drink only to find there was nothing left.

"How could I forget that!" she slammed her hand on the ground. "You coughed up _blood _yesterday, Natsume, how could you possibl—"

"A new heart won't help me," he cut in harshly. The moment he said it, he almost wanted to take it back because she recoiled and bit her lip. He wanted to crush the bottle of water in his hands but threw it next to him to prevent it.

Mikan sighed heavily before turning resolutely away.

They sat in silence for a while.

"I'm not going to die here." It was supposed to be a reassurance.

Mikan snorted softly, her anger and frustration only waning slightly. She opened her mouth to reply but closed it with a snap. _They didn't know that for sure._

When it was clear she wouldn't say anything, Natsume sighed and looked at her, his eyes softening. "It's late," he got up. "I'll walk you back."

She looked like she wanted to refuse. Her arms were crossed over her chest and there was a dangerous frown on her lips but Natsume was relieved when she got to her feet and started walking ahead of him.

Natsume sighed a long suffering sigh borne of patience before falling in step behind her. They were halfway to her dorm building when he tugged her arms away from each other and clasped their hands together, "Stop being mad."

Her hand was lax in his and she refused to respond.

Instead, her eyebrows were pulled together in contemplation and her lower lip was being gnawed on by her incisors like they always were when she was focused on something. Whether it was because she was concentrating on ignoring him or not, Natsume's temper flared.

She always worried about the silliest things.

When he squeezed her hand and she didn't return the gesture, Natsume's irritation peaked. He made to drop her hand but she tightened her grip and looked at him with a thoughtful smile on her face. "What's wrong with you now?" He was irritated. The mood swings this girl had were _phenomenal._

She waved his question off and swung their hands, lifting their clasped hands in front of them, "We have two hands to hold and two legs to walk—"

He scowled. "You blithering, little sap—"

"—AND WE HAVE TWO EARS TO LISTEN, NATSUME—" she interrupted pointedly, making him wince. Lowering her voice, she grinned, "—two eyes to see and two hearts—"

"One, Strawberries," Natsume cut in flatly. "Don't even say you have an explanation for that."

She tsked and shook her head, "Oh ye have little faith, Natsume. You see, I just had an epiphany—_yes_, I know what that means—and I figure…"

She smiled, slowing their walk, "He gave us two. It's just… the other one was given to someone else." He was about to retort with a crass comment when she finished, "We're given two. We're just supposed to find the other one…in that person with our other heart."

She stopped walking and looked at him with a flush to her cheeks. She brought their joined hands up in front of them and placed his hand over top of her heart. "Can you feel your heart, Natsume?"

He could almost feel the heat coming up his neck when he looked at her.

He blinked.

Then squeezed his hand.

"Your breasts are still rather small."

* * *

_Wow, you can tell I was in a disgustingly fluffy mood when I wrote this. Ugh. The next drabble will probably be AU because I've been struck with massive inspiration from real life and I can't seem to get _any _updates posted because of these stupid distractions. Blah._

_Thanks for reviewing!_

_My Hopeless Romantic  
_


	3. Some Things Aren't Fated

**Title: **Some Things Aren't Fated  
**Prompt: **#22 – clouds  
**Pairing: **Ruka x Hotaru  
**Dedication:** Suzzizle because she was rather epic [not, _super_ epic] in her review. It made me all fuzzy inside and got me stoked to write! And Green Fire Balls [written in an awesome way], who wanted an RxH drabble.  
**Genre: **Romance/General/Friendship

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-;-

It was not fate.

They had never been fated.

If she had been certain about anything in her life, Hotaru was certain about this. She'd known it from the very start. Nobody had known they'd get together. Nobody could really understand how it had even managed to _work _between the two of them.

Some said, "Birds of a feather flock together," but Nogi and her could never be the same.

Not even close.

Others said, "Opposites attract," but even that couldn't have been it.

Not really, anyway.

They weren't like Mikan and Natsume who seemed like they were complete polar opposites of each other. Everybody could see it and most even cheered for it.

No… they were something, not quite a rare breed but definitely an uncommon sight. It had nothing to do with how they looked, though, but perhaps in the way they interacted, even after they had gotten together.

They didn't have romantic inside jokes that only they could understand. They didn't have that transparent, magnetic pull that other couples had towards each other. Hell, if someone had seen the two of them together, sitting on a bench, and hadn't known the two beforehand or heard the rumors, that someone would've thought that they didn't even know each other, or were merely distant acquaintances.

She was never one to talk unless it was pertinent in some way and her younger, blackmailing antics had dwindled into a mere hobby over the years.

And he… well, he had never really been all that comfortable with public displays of affection. He had never really needed the touch or reassurance or the promises that others shared. When she thought about it, she couldn't even _remember_ the last time she said something remotely obvious about what they had.

They didn't need to bother.

They had never been fated.

Their union was quiet and didn't stir a whisker of dust for several _weeks _before Mikan had shouted it to the whole canteen. In surprise, of course. She hadn't bothered telling the brunette and her boyfriend, Natsume, hadn't deemed it necessary either.

The word spread, but they didn't change. There was hardly a difference to how they acted regularly with friends and teachers. They didn't go on many dates and didn't spend time sitting under trees or holding hands in Central Town.

It was mutual.

They just didn't need it.

Perhaps this was why people doubted they were even in a relationship, but when asked if, they had nothing to hide. When asked why, they shrugged, and smiled, in Ruka's case.

Many understood how Mikan and Natsume had gotten together. There had always been a sizzling, fiery sexual tension between the two ever since she burst into the classroom that first day and practically shoved her words of derision down his throat.

He had always liked a challenge.

They were the perfect match.

They were fated, but Hotaru and Ruka weren't.

Some didn't really understand. Or to be truthful_, no one_ could really understand.

Their first meeting was quiet, casual, fleeting and unmemorable. Their interactions earlier had been playful but nothing more than passing intrigue.

They weren't meant to be. Their fates weren't sewn in gold against the clouds, nor were their names side by side, like Mikan's and Natsume's. M and N were always meant to be together in the alphabet.

However, there were nine letters between H and R.

There would always be nine letters between H and R.

…

They just weren't fated.

…

But they worked anyway.

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_Don't really know how I feel about this but I really like the idea of Ruka and Hotaru in a quiet, calm relationship.  
I wrote a SumireKoko 'drabble' based on one of my fifty prompts but it got WAY too long and is already posted as a standalone oneshot. Give it a read!_

_My Hopeless Romantic  
_


	4. Cornered

**Title:** Cornered  
**Prompt: **#39 - electricity  
**Pairing: **Sumire x Koko  
**Warning**: Extreme fluff  
**Dedication: **CrazyQuills [I hope this makes you feel better, _CQ_. SumireKoko, just for you.]  
**Genre: **Romance/Humor

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-;-

Sumire was cornered.

She wasn't stupid. She _knew_ there was no way out and Koko? If that damn smirk on his face was anything to go by, he knew it too.

"One step closer and I'll bite your head off."

"I'd like to see you _try_," Koko murmured with a wolfish grin. The large smile on his face made a shiver run down her spine and he advanced with a subtle swagger. "If you tell me, I'll leave," he promised, eyeing the look of apprehension on her face.

She gulped, infinitely aware of her rapid heart rate and the jump from her stomach to her feet. Swallowing with difficulty, she put her hands up in front of her and yelled, "Fine, ok?! Fine!"

The grin on Koko's face widened and he stopped his advance, leaning his back against the alleyway wall. "You can't lie to me, Sumire. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything, you know."

"I know," she bit out darkly, nibbling on her lower lip. "I can't believe I have a stupid, persistent berk as a best friend."

"I'm not a—"

She glared at him in the eye and couldn't help the mounting annoyance she felt for being caught. Looking away and rubbing her eyelid, she muttered, "I was worried about my cooking mark, ok? It has nothing to do with you."

He gaped at her. "You rub your eyelid and bite your lip when you're lying," he remarked dryly. "I can't believe you're lying to me! Whatever it is, it's obviously not worth lying about."

"I'm not lying!" she defended, biting her lip. An electric shock went through her and she immediately covered her mouth with her hand. She turned her wide gaze back to his.

"You lied again!"

"Did not! I was just—"

He frowned and took a step closer. "You can't just go a week avoiding me and believe that I won't notice," Koko pointed out softly, the corners of his lips turned down. "All I asked was for you to tell me _why_ and you couldn't even do that?"

Her annoyance mounted. Not only was she losing _completely_, but Koko was starting to catch on to her habits with ease.

She didn't know if that bugged her more or made her melt with brief pleasure. "Koko, you couldn't possibly understa—"

"I can't if you won't tell me," he interrupted.

"I did but you—_what are you doing?!_"

He was taking off his Alice bracelet with the calm of an impending storm and Sumire's panic rose swiftly.

"If you won't tell me, then I'll just use my Alice to get it out of you."

"Don't you _dare_ take that device off your arm, Koko, or I will _never_ speak to you again. If I don't want to tell you something then that's my decision and—"

"You _never _care whether I hear your thoughts or not and you promised—" he emphasized in a cool voice, "—that if I put on the bracelet, you wouldn't keep things from me. You're never one to break your promises, Sumire."

The clink of metal resounded in the little alley and Sumire broke off with wide eyes and her vision blurred at the sight of the device on the ground. She clenched her eyelids shut, trying to block off her thoughts in vain and knew, in an instant, the cat was out of the bag.

… _Dammit, I love you._

She heard the patter of his footsteps approaching cautiously and the hesitant murmur, "Sumire, you—"

"Don't _say_ anything," she hissed darkly, blood throbbing in her ears. Something large was pounding within her skull and she didn't know why she wanted to just _break _something.

Something warm loomed closer. Her eyes snapped open to find him unbearably close. Looking up to tell him to back off, Sumire caught the ghost of a smile on Koko's face before he muttered, "Fine."

Instead, he kissed her.

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_Wow, it's been all canon so far, eh? I should get an AU up and fast!  
Apparently drabbles are supposed to be under one thousand words? The first two were a fail then.  
_

_My Hopeless Romantic  
_


	5. Jealousy Made Him Do Stupid Things

**Title:** Jealousy Makes Him Do Stupid Things [part one]  
**Prompt: **#3 – kneecap  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Warning: **Language?  
**Dedication: **MidnightTaiyou ['cos stalkers and creepers really like you.]  
**Genre: **Romance/Humor

-;-

-;-

He was going to _rip _the bastard's _arms _off.

Perhaps he'd even do the little berk a favor and pop his kneecaps too.

Natsume shook his head. Nah, he could just drop kick the sod off the nearest cliff and leave him for dead. In reality, all he needed was the guy to back _off._

From beside him, Koko's back stiffened and he looked furtively over his shoulder with the caution of a hunted bunny.

Natsume bit back the urge to bare his teeth.

A boisterous laugh made Natsume's attention revert back to the brunette and before he knew it, his fists were clenched and he was resisting with all of his might not to burn the sod's eyebrows to match his equally bald head.

"Now, now ladies. Don't crowd. Wouldn't want to crush all the roses, would we?" A couple of girls backed off before they started crooning and fluttering their hands all over the bouquet held in Mikan's hands. It was a bouquet of two dozen blood red roses.

And they weren't from him.

It was Friday and Narumi being Narumi—the sick, sadistic little _asswipe—_had given everybody in their English class a new assignment: to go out on a date with someone else in the class and list the pros and cons of how the date had gone. It wasn't one of those assignments they were supposed to do with their partner though, much to Natsume's chagrin. Too many people started complaining about being with their partners for too long and though he'd grunted his accord, he hadn't very well expected _this._

Mochu and _Mikan _were going on a date today… and he was the only boy in class that had gotten his date _flowers. _

Ugh, if Natsume could just kill the guy without repercussions, he'd do it in a second.

"Mochu should _definitely _get a kiss goodnight for _this _stunt!"

On second thought… screw the consequences. The scene was playing rather enticingly in his head…

From beside him, Anna squirmed and placed her palms on her knees. She looked like she wanted to go and check out the roses herself but something kept her there. Natsume didn't really care what.

Ruka turned to him. "Natsume, don't," he muttered sternly.

A slim eyebrow made its way to his hairline before he turned back to glare at the back of Mochu's head.

"What, Ruka."

"It's just a harmless date, Natsume. That look on your face won't do anyone any good and it's making Anna nervous." Ahh, so that was why the Cooking Alice had started squirming like a rabid animal in heat.

Somewhere, Koko snorted.

"What self-respecting guy buys two dozen roses for a girl if it's just a _harmless _date?"

"A guy that's failing English and wants to manipulate our teacher into giving him a higher grade," Ruka riposted easily.

An irritated pause, then, "But two dozen?"

"Natsume," Ruka chuckled, "—Just focus on _your _date. There'll be plenty of time to interrogate or maim—if that's what you're going for—Mochu tomorrow."

Natsume, begrudgingly, let his expression smooth into one of indifference, but he kept his eyes fixed on the pair in the middle of the classroom. He wanted to tell Anna to leave but Ruka beat him to it, opting to suggest she see what all the hype was about. She'd almost sprinted away from their bench in the back before the last word had left his lips.

"Anna's a nice girl, you know," said Ruka, petting his rabbit with measured strokes. "I hope you've at least planned _something_ nice, like a lunch or something."

He snorted, "Not likely."

"_Natsume_…"

"What about you?" He couldn't keep the smirk out of his voice. "What have you planned for Iincho?"

With that, Ruka's cheeks flushed an admirable shade of rouge. "That was a _low _blow, Natsume. Under the belt, low."

Natsume almost smiled.

While the ratio within their class was fairly even, it was well known that there were two boys more than there were girls. Ruka and Iincho's names were the last within the hat labeled 'boys' and well, that was the end of that. They would go on a date together.

For some reason, Narumi had brightened immensely.

Natsume had always known the man was a perverted bastard.

"Okay class, go on and head out. I expect to have your assignments in by Monday morning." With an almost _wicked _grin, he added, "Have _fun_!"

… to be continued…

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**[G-JAM]** - Don't you just _love _the idea of Natsume x 'Anna'?

**[TBATB Readers]** - Finally got some motivation to write it again. :)

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	6. Enough

**Title:** Enough  
**Prompt: **#4 - doorknob  
**Pairing:** Yuka x Izumi  
**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort/Angst

-;-

-;-

The shock is almost enough to force her to her knees, but Yuka feels Shiki's strong hold on her arm, preventing her from completely collapsing. Though tears are filling up at the seams of her eyes and there seems to be no more strength in her limbs, Yuka pushes away from him and leans on the wall for support.

She is finished.

She is tired.

No more.

The doorknob is ice cold against her warm skin.

She can't possibly depend on anybody else now that _he's _gone. He said he'd protect her. He'd always been there behind the scenes, handling the things he didn't think she was capable of handling, or just not wanting her to have to suffer, at all.

He has always been looking out for her, as has Shiki and Kaoru but Yuka has had _enough. _

_No more._

She can't _depend _on anyone anymore.

She can't risk another person falling because of her, being lost because of her. It isn't because of her pride, necessarily. Losing someone just about breaks anyone's pride. No… Yuka can't stand idly to the side while everyone fights her battles.

She isn't a _child_.

She isn't _defenseless._

She isn't just some doll to hide in a corner and watch everyone she loves and cares about being hurt because she's too innocent. She isn't innocent, not anymore. His death made certain of that.

She almost laughs but the sound gets stuck in her throat a quarter of the way up, especially at the look of heartbreaking concern on Shiki's face.

He'd done it to protect her, to make her happy because he loved her.

But…

Kaoru has left.

Izumi-sensei has _died. _

And Yuka…

She twists the doorknob.

Yuka has had _enough.  


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_

_Short and bitter, just the way I like it. :)_

_My Hopeless Romantic  
_


	7. Out to Get Me

**Title:** Out to Get Me  
**Prompt: **#36 – soccer field  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Warning:** Alternate Universe/Supernatural  
**Dedication: **Ms. RedEyes. :) [cuz you like happy things.]  
**Genre: **Supernatural/Fantasy (?)

-;-

-;-

It's dark and chilly by the time I'm allowed out of detention.

With a smug sneer on his face, Jinno says acerbically, "I hope you've learned not to doze off in my class again, Sakura." His eyebrow rises condescendingly. "And that you've learned to keep your smart mouth _shut_."

_Yeah, I hate you too._

I'm almost impressed I don't succumb to the urge to leave another biting remark to make his face turn that interesting shade of puce like earlier… Instead I send him a mocking salute and turn for the exit. I roll my eyes before throwing my books into my locker and pulling my school jacket from off of the ratty hook on the side of the door and I startle, only slightly, when a loud slam of wood—a door perhaps?—echoes from somewhere deep within the school.

I pull on my jacket sleeves before heading outside.

The wind is blowing relentlessly, enough for a faint whistling to blow past my ears and I bundle up and cross my arms over my chest, trying to ward off the cold. A chill runs up my spine and for some odd reason, the hairs on the back of my neck tell me I'm being watched.

But I don't turn around.

I've watched enough of those horror movies on TV with Koko to know that the girl always dies in the end when she lets the guy know _she _knows she's being followed.

I do, on the other hand, quicken my pace and pull my cell phone from out of my pocket.

No reception.

Just my freakin' luck.

With the ease of a snake (or at least, that's what I'm hoping), I peer out from the corner of my eyes, trying to take a glimpse of whoever's following me.

Needless to say, I don't get very great results.

Instead, I change course and head towards the soccer field because there's this super secret path I know like the back of my hand that leads to the Northern Forest and cuts _right _to where Koko lives.

I'm sure I'll be safe there.

Koko's always had my back, even _if _I'm usually the one that keeps getting him in trouble. He _has_ been acting off lately though, and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Hopefully he doesn't mind if I turn up at his house, unannounced. I mean, I would have called if there was some reception around this place but knowing him, he won't mind.

We're good friends.

Best friends, even.

It had been kind of strange, admittedly, when he took me by the arm yesterday and told me not to go out today. I'd laughed it off, punched him in the arm and scoffed right into his face. It was Hallowe'en, after all! I wasn't going to stay at home and waste my super-cool catwoman costume complete with the leather boots, nets and _the _best cape. He'd pouted with an almost serious expression on his face, but it'd slipped into one of his easy grins when I mentioned our latest prank on Jinno.

I almost smile before another shiver convulses my spine and, by reflex, I turn around.

There's nobody there, but there is _something_.

It's a black cat, tail poised in the air like one of those proud Egyptian felines would and a body that's as relaxed as can be, as if it was used to being observed with a startling intensity. It looks like any other black cat, I suppose, if not for the curious, piercing red eyes it has.

For some reason, instead of being reassured that nobody's following me, my heart beats more intensely. Something just… doesn't feel right. There's something eerie about the cat, about the way it's standing, that makes me feel like I'm being…hunted.

I turn, ignoring it, and continue on my way to Koko's house. We'd probably be able to watch one of those stupid Hallowe'en movie reruns on TV and I'd be able to laugh this all off. I can't believe I—

There's a flash of green from my right and before I know it, I'm looking into clear green, catlike eyes. By the time I'm even out of the soccer field, I'm surrounded by two cats, two foxes… there's even an owl perched on a tree not too far from where I stand who, I can't help but think, is looking at me strangely.

It has glowing purple eyes like I've never seen before.

"Animals," I grumble with exasperation, kicking a pebble at the green-eyed cat. "I'm sure there's some nasty dumpster around here you can scrounge in for food. I'm out." Feeling slightly ridiculous, I turn out my pockets and shrug my shoulders. "See?"

The green-eyed cat hisses.

The black cat is busy licking its paw, but its eyes—I know—are trained on me.

"Ugh, this is hell," I run a hand through my hair. "Now listen here, guys. Stop following me. I'm heading home so if you guys don't want to be kicked in the face, you'll learn to leave me alone, 'kay?"

The owl hoots with no real motivation.

If anything, it creeps me out even more.

So I turn around and continue on my way. I break out into a run when they start _following _me again, all in unison like some sort of gang. My pulse is racing and my thoughts are spiraling because I don't really know what's going on and to be honest, what the hell are you supposed to do when you're being chased by some random cats and foxes and—what the _heck—_why is the _owl _flying overhead?!

Somewhere, I hear a howl in the distance and from behind me, a bone-chilling harmony of hisses fill the air.

From out of nowhere, something grabs me by the arm, yanks me back and throws me against a nearby tree.

My eyes meet green before a low voice makes another shiver run down my spine.

"Stop."

The _girl _in front of me lowers her raised hand and growls. "She kicked a _rock _at me and _dared _to imply we ate _garbage_. Ugh, she's just begging to get her eyes scratched out, Natsume." She crosses her arms and looks down at me condescendingly. "It's almost annoying, how you always want to get our victims first. Selfish manwhore."

I don't see 'Natsume' until he steps out of the shadows and I'm almost tempted to have one of those disgusting fan-girl moments and swoon all _over _him when he does.

_Frick._

He's practically _bathed _in moonlight and—I swallow. He's not wearing anything from the waist down, either. Briefly, I wonder how the _green _girl has clothes on when this one doesn't.

"Hyuuga, put your clothes on."

He grunts something, sends the green girl a stern glare before turning—will not look!—and starts to head into the bush. The new girl, settled in the shadows, throws him a pair of pants and before I know it, he's back accompanied by a blonde and… Koko?

What the _heck_.

"Koko, what the heck is going on?"

He turns and scratches his head sheepishly.

I'm really tempted to stomp up to him and wring his neck.

"Mikan… we've known each other for five months, right?"

My temper flares when the green-haired girl starts eyeing me evilly. "I really don't think this is the time to reminisce when I'm being surrounded by some random half-animal people that tend to go naked for the heck of it and apparently _know _you."

Koko puts his hands up and seems about ready to start groveling when the red-eyed boy stands in front of him.

"Mikan Sakura."

Well _damn_, if he doesn't make my name sound sexy.

"I told him to warn you, but apparently you don't take warnings seriously." His face, which had been previously devoid of much emotion, breaks into a vicious sneer. "I suppose it's time you find out just how scary hell really is." He nods at the girl beside me. "Shouda."

I'm almost tempted to scream.

The next thing I know, her hands are tight around my neck and his eyes are glowing like molten embers.

I feel like I'm drowning but strangely enough, the feeling isn't that _bad_…

…because I can't stop looking at him_, _even as my vision flickers and soon, becomes nothing_._

* * *

_Happy Hallowe'en! Be safe, not stupid. :) _[I shall edit this tomorrow, I just really wanted to post this today!]


	8. Greatest Fear

**Title:** Greatest Fear [part two of _Out to Get Me_.]  
**Prompt: **#24 – shovel  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Warning:** Alternate Universe/Supernatural  
**Dedication: ** bunnykun [cuz your review made me laugh], sootysnowxpetal [for inspiring me to add more] and for those who didn't understand my twisted logic and needed some clarification to **Drabble Seven**. Happy reading!  
**Genre: **Supernatural/Fantasy (?)

-;-

-;-

I don't really know why, but I'm running.

It's still dark, and I don't know how I got this way.

The last thing I really remember is that boy's red eyes giving way to golden cinders and the feeling of uncertainty, like I'm sinking into the Earth, warm and inviting, around me.

Ironic, because my greatest fear is being buried alive.

I will my body to stop running, but it's like I'm not capable of controlling myself, like I'm having an out-of-body experience. My body doesn't want to stop. Before I'm really aware of it, I hear the crashing of tree branches and the rustle of leaves from behind me.

I feel someone's breath on my neck before a warm hand clamps down and throws me to the ground.

"You."

My voice is but a hoarse whisper of confusion and he stares down at me with his eyes glowing red and a fierce smirk on his face. He takes a step forward and I force my legs to push and crawl away from his approaching figure but one, then two steps close the distance and his knees are on either side of my hips.

As he straddles me, he leans down and whispers, "How do you like Hallowe'en—" his eyes travel slowly from my face to my neck to— "Polka Dots."

—my bra. I'm too scared to call him off and punch him in the face because the sneer on his face looks menacing and the gleam in his eyes tells me he's having a fabulous time scaring the shit out of me. I start to tremble and when his eyes meet mine once again, they're delighted.

"G-Get away from me."

He laughs. "Hallowe'en is my favorite holiday, too. You see," he gives a chaste kiss to my frozen lips, leaving an almost playful nip at my bottom lip, "—uncle allows me to play with whomever I like as long as I don't kill them. He doesn't like knowing I can make him picture his greatest fear over," he kisses once, "—and over," he kisses twice, "—and over again."

When he brings his face up, there's a boyish grin of delight on his face. "He created Hallowe'en for me," Natsume smirks acerbically. "That's why Hallowe'en is my favorite holiday."

"Let me go," I try to hiss. What comes out is a pathetic whimper of fear.

He snorts. "Watching Koko flounce around with you however he pleases _disgusts_ me." His lips twist into—I hate to admit—a handsome scowl. "Figures uncle would allow his _son_ free reign to do as he likes." The feral grin is back on his lips, "But Hallowe'en is _my _night and you'll be the first."

With that, he smashes his lips against mine and I don't know whether I'm trembling with fear or because he's doing weird things with my lips I don't understand. When he's finished, he pulls away and brushes a light finger against my bottom lip. I see the dark stain of blood on the tip of his finger before he looks at it. When he does, his eyes bleed to black and then he shivers with delight.

His voice is nonchalant.

"A live burial," my heart drops to my feet, "How _interesting_."

One moment, he pulls me into his arms, the next moment, he's dropping me into the deepest hole I've ever seen, because I fall, fall, _fall_ until it feels like the walls of dirt around me are closing in. When I crash to the bottom, it feels like all of the bones in my bottom have broken but I can still move as every inch of my body aches.

I tilt my head back to see several, not quite familiar figures. I have a feeling they're the two girls and two boys that I'd seen earlier but they're too far away for me to be certain and I'm too busy hyperventilating to be able to think straight.

His voice is smooth, even from this distance. "Happy Hallowe'en, Polka Dots."

And I scream when dirt starts falling all around me.

-;-

-;-

I bolt up in bed in time to smash my head against something that yelps, "OW, FRICK!" and I groan and flop down on the bed once again, the feeling of pain only briefly deflecting my thoughts away from the dream.

It was a dream, it _had _to be a dream.

How else had I survived being buried alive and then well… _being_ alive again?

"Mikan, are you okay?"

I open my eyes to find the sun shining and lots of brown and blonde in my blurred vision. Even then, I moan, lift a hand up and push Koko's head away. "Get away from me, you stupid traitor," I mutter in a hoarse voice.

My throat is desert dry and feels like sandpaper. _Was it because of the way I'd been screaming in my dream?_ I wonder.

It takes me a minute to realize I'm shivering and drenched in sweat with a trail of gooseflesh all over my arms and that I'm still wearing my Hallowe'en costume. "What happened?" I croak.

Koko crawls back into view, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Dad and I found you on the Kiko trail and brought you back here. You've been sleeping ever since."

It is only when he moves do I realize Koko's dad is actually in the room with an indescribable expression on his face. I can't help but shirk away from his innocent gaze and I shiver when he asks, "Are you okay? You gave Koko's mom a real scare when we brought you in."

I mumble two words to appease him and he puts a glass of water down on the table by the mirror before leaving the room. I immediately pin Koko down with a glare. "Okay, so what _really _happened?"

Koko frowns, "What are you talking about? I just told you what happened!"

"Yeah, because I _totally _believe you," I roll my eyes. "Don't try to pull anything over on me, you traitor. What was with your cryptic warning the other day about? The thing about not going out during Hallowe'en?"

Koko rolled his eyes. "There are some _really _shady characters around here at night, stupid. What else did you think I meant?" His eyes gleamed with suspicion. "You weren't actually _scared _were you? The mighty Mikan Sakura, finally wetting herself. Let me check if there's any evidence." He flipped back the cover and I gasp when I glimpse my costume and the blue sheets stained with dirt and grime.

"Oops, I guess you shit a brick instead," Koko chuckled nervously. "Here, I'll get you something to change into." He gets up and heads to the door before adding, "You should drink something. You sound like a smoker."

I resist the urge to punch him and reach for the glass when he leaves.

Just when I begin to think it's all a dream, my hands come into view and I see the dirt underneath my nails. What chills me even more is the cut I glimpse on the lip of my reflection in the mirror.

* * *

_Creepy? Dark!Natsume intrigues me. :) _Sorry, I posted this earlier and something Sooty mentioned inspired me so I took down the original and wrote this instead. Hope this makes more sense... kinda.

_I've been asked where the prompts came from. A friend from FFN, SilverEyedDreamer, sent me this challenge so I got the fifty prompts from her. :)  
_

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	9. Love is In the Hair

**Title:** Love is In the Hair  
**Prompt: **#18 – hair  
**Pairing: **Ruka x Hotaru  
**Dedication: **nyahxneko [SumireKoko makes me squee! too. :)]  
**Genre: **Romance/Friendship/Humor

-;-

-;-

Ruka liked Hotaru's hair.

Like most boys at ten years old, though, he had started off liking girls with long hair because they seemed softer, more feminine. He wasn't like Mochu, who thought feminine girls were annoying and prissy. Then again, he had always gotten along with the females in his class far better than the others, with the exception of their class president.

Girls were nice.

Whenever he was around, they involved him in group activities or invited him out to Central Town. On more than one occasion, they even made him lunches complete with dimpled smiles and sunny laughs.

This idea he had about girls only strengthened when Mikan came to the Academy.

But Hotaru was different.

Hotaru had always been different.

As he watched her now, not unlike the many other times he had watched her, Ruka noticed just how unique she was compared to the other girls within the class. He could go off on a tangent about what set her apart from the others, but today what stood out to him was her hair.

From his seat two tables behind her and one seat over, he could see the scruff of the back of her head and a sliver of her profile with the bone straight nose. Her hair was very similar as to what it was when they were ten, however she had grown into her longs bangs and though, more often than not, she clipped them to the side or pushed them back with a hair band, today she let it be, opting to push it to her right until it swept over her forehead rather tastefully.

Hotaru had the shortest hair out of all of the girls in the class. Even _his _hair was slightly longer than hers, as were many of the other boys' hair.

Ruka had overheard someone muttering some time ago, "Why is Imai bent on keeping her boy hair? She would look so pretty with long hair!"

The thought had crossed his mind several times as well. The image of her with a waterfall of midnight hair down her back definitely had its merits, but the way Ruka saw it, if he had to choose between her having long hair or short hair, he would definitely go for the short hair.

Because when Ruka looked at it now, boy cut or not, Hotaru Imai looked damn good with short hair.

Especially when it did a great job of displaying the perfect column of silky white neck and the red stain of possession he had marked her with only an hour before.

* * *

Yeeee! _Cindy, you can't say you hate Ruka now!_ Okay, well you could, but then I'd probably wanna smack you. Again. :) Review, if you please.

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	10. Sitting in a Tree, SPYING

**Title:** Sitting in a Tree, S-P-Y-I-N-G [part two of _Jealousy Made Him Do Stupid Things_]  
**Prompt: **#32 – torture  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Dedication:** _for those who didn't see the hickey thing coming in the last oneshot. Haha. Ahh, made my day. _:)  
**Genre: **Romance/Humor

-;-

-;-

"I really don't know about this," Yuu's voice muttered nervously from behind. "Aren't we supposed to be on a date, Ruka?"

From beside him, Ruka twitched and shot their class president a dirty look.

Natsume continued watching.

"It doesn't even matter what you know or don't know," he heard Anna answer in a whisper. "You can't leave me like this, Iincho! Natsume makes me nervous."

"Then you can go back to class," he snapped over his shoulder, "—or the both of you can shut up and watch."

The both of them promptly quieted.

Ruka scooted closer to him on the branch and lowered his voice, "Don't you think you're going a little far? I'm telling you again because I don't think you've realized, this is an _assigned _date from Narumi."

Natsume rolled his eyes, "No duh, idiot."

Ruka waited for him to add something—_anything—_but it was clear his best friend would not budge on the subject. He continued exasperatedly, "That means Mochu wouldn't dare ask Mikan on a date if this wasn't the case. Natsume, you're being ridiculous. If you haven't realized, we're sitting in a _tree _overlooking the little restaurant Mochu and Mikan are in because they're on a _fake _date which is worth a pretty decent percentage of our class mark, which the four of us are going to fail, by the way, if we continue to be a bunch of creeps an—"

"_You're_ being a creep. _Iincho_ is being a creep. Even _Umenomiya_ is being a creep. I'm not," Natsume interrupted smoothly, ignoring Yuu's squawk of protest. "I'm being a good friend and making sure Mochu doesn't do anything he'll regret. Like if he touches something he shouldn't, he might find he doesn't have _hands _tomorrow. Fortunately or unfortunately, I haven't decided yet."

"Right," Ruka muttered. "So _I'm _the creep."

"Apparently so am I," Anna added dryly, peeking out from behind the trunk of the tree. "So what are they doing now? I suppose if I'm going to fail this assignment, I might as well see why."

Natsume shifted, eyes trained on the patio table. Between clenched teeth, he swore. "They're talking and his greasy, fat hands are inching closer to hers."

"Didn't he have the buffalo wings though? Knowing Mochu, he ended up licking his fingers clean. Ohh, that would be gross! Poor Mikan."

Natsume narrowed his eyes. "_Exactly."_

"I hope Mikan realizes before he makes the move," Anna put in, craning her neck to watch closer. "That'd be unfortunate to have Mochu's saliva on her hands."

"Realizes?" Natsume scoffed. "Of course she's not going to realize! She's too stupid to notice anything around her to see he's practically drooling all over her. It'll be her own fault if he touches her with his—" Natsume broke off and swore. "That son of a—"

"_Natsume._"

"—wouldn't _dare_. I'm going to burn all of his fingers off!"

Anna ignored Ruka's warning look and suggested, "Why don't you just singe him a little bit? Burning them right off would—"

"Implicate me," Natsume finished, snapping his fingers. "You're right. It'd be far too obvious, even Polka Dots would be able to figure out who it was that ruined her date." He settled one leg on the branch. "Singeing it is." As an afterthought, he muttered, "Thanks."

Anna positively beamed.

Yuu fidgeted, but kept his hands on the branch beneath him like his life depended on it. "Natsume, I really don't think that would be a prudent decision and as the Class Representative, I think it is my duty to ask you to refrain from—"

Ruka groaned, "Burning or singeing, it makes no difference! Anybody with a brain would know it was you! Anna, why are you encouraging him?! You're making matters worse and I realize this isn't the date you expected with Natsume but you could at least restrain yourself from—Yuu, what the _hell_? Why are you moving so close to me?"

"Your branch looks sturdier than mine!" Yuu explained hurriedly. "Mine looked like it was going to fall right off, it was so flimsy."

Ruka sighed. "You know what—Yuu, get up. Let's do something _normal_. I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a _creep," _he directed this at Natsume, "—and I don't want to fail this assignment for something as petty as jealousy. Let's go watch Koko squirm around Imai."

Yuu visibly paled. "Hotaru will kill us."

Ruka laughed, "No, she'll be too busy taking Koko for all he's worth. I wouldn't want to miss it for the world."

"You're not a very nice friend," Yuu remarked.

Ruka grinned. "No, I'm just a really proud boyfriend."

…

Mochu screamed.

… to be continued …

* * *

_One or two more parts to this plot. :) _Jai, don't make a pervy comment about what I think you're going to make a pervy comment about. :) Idiot.

Reviews are appreciated.

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	11. Without Fire and Nullification

**Title:** Without My Fire and Your Nullification  
**Prompt: **#33 – parking lot  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Dedication:** _Darling MidnightTaiyou. Happy, Happy Birthday, foo. _:) Have a super-amazing-epic-fantabuloustic birthday, bub.  
**Genre: **Drama/Hurt-Comfort/Angst

-;-

-;-

You watch, from your little corner of the room, as her mother speaks in low whispers with Principal Yukihira and that man that you know as Shiki Masachika. It's funny, you think, how the first time you met her, you wished she'd just leave and never come back. Now that she _was _planning to leave, you can't help but wish she'd stay with you.

She used to call you bipolar.

Now, you're beginning to believe it.

She's surrounded by her friends. Both of her perverted senpais, Imai, the Ice Princess, Ruka… but you're not included among the many that are converged around her, saying their goodbyes. There's this lump in your throat that's making it hard for you to swallow and you think, _one look at her face and you're a goner. _

She's probably crying, and they never sit well with you, when you see her tears. So you keep your distance, though you're certain you'll probably regret it. How long will it take for her to come back? Because God knows the Academy will never let you out any earlier and the thought of not seeing her after this… well, it sends that powerful organ under your ribs in a panicked frenzy.

You don't believe in fate and you don't believe she was meant to be with you. Ogasawara has always purred—when she didn't think you'd be able to hear—about how perfect you are together, even though Mikan's an idiot (from Shouda). People used to say the day she came, it was like you were given another chance. She was supposed to save you, she was meant for you.

But you never believed in that.

The ideas are pretty, but you are a realist.

And the fact that here you are, after trials and tribulations, after drama and heartache, after arguments and misunderstandings and _pain, _watching her get ready to leave, you know that you've never wished for anything more than you wish for this:

_That you'd met without the burden of Alices. _

And as if she hears the whisper of desperation in your thoughts, she turns to you, with her hand still in her mother's. From across the room, her eyes are still brown with the bright fire that you… like.

You hate the cliché of it all, but when she looks at you, you can't help but forget about everybody else. You wish she wasn't leaving and she cocks her head to the side with a frown on her lips and you just want to rip her hands away from the woman that's taking her away and keep her by your side forever.

And you think, if she didn't have her Nullification and you didn't have your Fire, things could've been different. If you'd met her outside of these vicious concrete walls, she would never have to leave you and you both would have never needed to go through pointless obstacles like the Elementary School Principal, Persona, Luna and everybody else that wants you dead.

You think, without all of this, you could've done things right. You could have taken her out on a date without being afraid of someone breathing down your neck. You could hold her hand and buy her Fluff Puffs and go to parks. You could push her on the swing and she would wear the hat you'd buy her and when you grew older, you could even pull up into some parking lot in front of some jewelry store and buy her a necklace or a bracelet.

Anything would make her happy. And you'd be happy with her.

And since you'd like to call yourself ambitious, perhaps, after a while, you'd venture with your courage and attempt to make her laugh that special laugh of hers that's always made you feel like there was a reason you were there. To make her laugh that one laugh that was yours.

Maybe then, you could've told her you loved her, too.

Because you think you do. Love her, you mean. Because you've heard of fickle things about love and how it has the potential to be your greatest strength or your greatest weakness and you think, no one, other than your family and Ruka, could ever make you feel like you'd rather eat broken glass than to be apart.

Mikan makes you feel like that. She makes you want to puke where you stand at the sight of her sad eyes and melancholic smile. Those kinds of smiles don't suit her. You know this because she's always looked her best with a smile on her face and a laugh itching at her throat.

But things aren't different and you still have your blasted Fire and she still has her Nullification. You know this because when she walks up to you and leaves everyone else behind, your desperation makes you strike out at her.

Your Fire dissipates into nothing when she's inches from your face and she looks like she isn't even surprised you'd reacted like you did. She is soft and small and shy and sad.

You want to say something. You want to tell her to stay (but that would be so _selfish_) and you want to tell her _thank you_ (but you'll know she'll ask why) and you want to say you love her (but the words just aren't ready to come out of hiding). So you stand stock still and watch her with all of these petty excuses in your head and when she looks at you, you wish, _so much_, that you were braver.

But she is smiling that sweet smile, not quite as bright and renowned as her happy smiles are, for you—the one that says everything—and you can't help but swallow when she takes your hand and leans up to kiss you lightly on your cheek.

And somehow, in that one move, you feel like everything you've felt and everything you've thought in the span of three minutes has gotten through to her. But she says your name one last time, like a prayer, and squeezes your hand before the three newest people to Alice Academy leave as one.

And you?

You feel empty, with unspoken promises to leave you anxious and dreams to remind you, you're still nothing without her.

* * *

Uh, I just realized this isn't a very appropriate birthday present. :| Still, happy birthday, Jen. :)

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	12. The Better Part of an Hour

**Title:** The Better Part of an Hour  
**Prompt: **#1 – candle  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan**  
****Dedication: **sootyxsnowpetal [ _because it's her birthday today! Enjoy, Sooty. :) _]  
**Genre: **Romance/Humor

-;-

-;-

"Polka, stop pushing me."

"Why aren't _you _the one bringing up the rear?!" Mikan hissed in a panicked whisper. "I'm probably going to get _eaten _and you'd probably keep walking without knowing! _I _want to be in the front!"

His tone was dry. "You said you didn't want the front because you'd be the first to die." He stopped feeling his way through the dark and opted to watch (as well as he could) the deranged girl who was trying to hide behind him.

She whimpered and practically shoved her head into the back of his sweater. "I'm scared!"

He forced the scoff down his throat. "Really," he deadpanned, continuing to feel his way through the dark. "I had no idea."

Her fist smacked him none too gently on the shoulder blade. "Your sarcasm is so _charming _right now, Natsume."

"My sarcasm seems to think so."

He couldn't exactly see her face without any traces of light, but he knew from experience that her eyes were narrowed and her jaw clenched.

Getting a rise out of her was simply _too _easy.

It was Thursday, or nearing the end of Thursday, and after meeting with Ruka on the roof for an hour, he'd settled into bed with one of the older volumes of his favorite Naruto manga. It was past curfew and everyone else would be up in their rooms, studying for the mid-term for Biology Misaki had decided to push onto them.

Except him.

He'd brushed up on the material before dinner and was as ready as his patience would allow him to be. And somewhere between kunai and jutsus, Natsume wondered if Mikan was awake and studying.

Then the lights went out and he could've _sworn _he heard the ear splitting scream that belonged to the girl desperately clutching onto his midsection.

"If you'd stop nullifying me, I could light our way outside," he feigned exasperation. For the nth time, he muttered, "Then this Fire could actually be put to some good use."

He felt her recoil before she all but shouted, "Don't you _dare_, mister. I will kill you with my own bare _hands_ if you use your Fire for no reason!"

"You're scared of the dark."

"So?"

"I can provide light."

Her tone hardened, "Yeah, but you _won't_."

He sighed, but didn't bother to argue. Instead, he murmured with an edge of scorn and more than just a little affection, "You're so stubborn."

"Yeah, well… I'm not going to risk your health just because I'm a little scared." He was distinctly aware of the warmth of her body pressed so close to his and by God, he would've thought he'd be used to warmth, with his Alice and all, but there was just something so much more brilliant in _her _warmth that made his stomach curl. "Besides, I feel much better now that you're with me. I hope you don't get into too much trouble being in the girl's dormitory, but I'm glad you're here. I feel like nothing can hurt me if you're here to protect me." She paused thoughtfully. "You _are _going to protect me… right?"

To hide the rush of nausea (and disgusting tenderness) he felt from her admission, Natsume scoffed and pulled her arm roughly from his. "Think again, Polka Dots. You're on your own."

She screamed when contact was lost and all but threw herself onto his back, winding her arms in a death grip around his neck with her panicked, uneven breaths echoing in his ear. "Natsume, don't scare me like that!" He smirked smugly, secured her legs in the crooks of both of his arms and sighed melodramatically.

"I really don't know what you'd do without me."

She mumbled something incoherent against his neck.

The laughter was evident in his voice when he asked, "What was that?"

"Probably get lost and eaten before dawn," her voice was timid.

"Thought so."

She wriggled in his hold before flopping benignly onto his back, huffing, "We've been walking around for more than twenty minutes, Natsume. And don't you find it strange that we haven't run into anybody? And oh my _gosh, _Natsume, are you _lost_?"

He took five long seconds of bated breath to respond: "We."

"We?"

"_We_ are lost."

Her grasp on him tightened and her hysteria peaked. It was more than just amusing to see her trying to flail her arms while keeping herself steady, mumbling and half-shouting how the both of them were going to die and how it was stupid of him to climb into her room when he should've saved himself.

All the while, she kept her body pressed close to his and the warm smell of her strawberry innocence wafted in a warm cloud around them.

Maybe this was the reason why he conveniently forgot to tell her they'd passed the hallway leading out of the dormitory about seven times and had circled around between all of the levels in her building for the better part of an hour.

_Definitely _a better part of an hour.

"…did _you _write a will, Natsume? Because I didn't and Hotaru probably won't know that I want to give her all of my clothes and my teddies, and obviously my money because I think Hotaru would really like that… do you think she'll know, Natsume?"

"Of course she's not going to know. And you know she's probably going to hate you for it, right?"

_This _scream was horrific.

* * *

I realize I am a sucker for posting these things for birthdays… ah well. Hope you enjoyed. Happy birthday, Sooty.

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	13. The Shorter End of the Stick

**Title:** The Shorter End of the Stick  
**Prompt: **#29 – smoothie  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Warning:** Alternate Universe  
**Dedication: **to all of those who Private Messaged me about my hiatus (which I'm not sure works for me) and to send me birthday wishes! :) Thank you all!

-;-

-;-

Natsume Hyuuga likes me.

I've been hearing it everywhere.

I didn't really believe it at first, because when we were seven, we got along really, really well. We were friends. At one point in time, we called each other best friends. We had mud fights and talked about Lord of the Rings (he was Smeagol and I was Gollum. Don't ask.) and we even re-enacted some Star Wars fights using the light sabers we found at Wal-Mart. I'd play Xbox with him (and lost _every _time) and he'd let me drag him into the rain to pretend we were birds (after some girls kept going on and on about a notebook and how they both wanted to fly).

So I found it really difficult to take seriously when Sumire came up to me about four years later and whined, "I can't believe Natsume-kun likes _you_! You're so," she struggled for the word, "—_Mikan_."

I was well aware of this, of course, but asked, "What are you talking about? Of course he likes me! I like him too… How could he be my best friend if I didn't even like him?"

From beside me, Anna laughed and after shooting a glare in my direction, Sumire huffed and stomped away. I didn't understand what got her so flustered. Still, days passed and I noticed Natsume being constantly… prodded. It was odd, because amongst us, Natsume had always been the one that was the most respected. It was strange to see Koko insistently shoving him in the shoulder and intentionally making Natsume angry.

Whenever I came up to ask what the hell they thought they were doing to my best friend, all of the boys would paste big grins on their faces, maybe even shoot me a little wave and say in innocent unison, "Hi Mikaaaaan!"

And then Natsume would get irrationally angry, get uncomfortable and shove past me without answering when I called him back. Even chasing after him was futile because he was so _stubborn _and God knows I wouldn't go out of my way to apologize for something that wasn't my fault to begin with.

Weeks passed and as time went by, Natsume's reaction to me became more irritated and cold, I felt the distance between us begin to move further and further apart. And then puberty hit and Hotaru came and all of a sudden, I had girl friends and Natsume, though still a constant presence in my mind, took a back seat to middle school transitions and friends.

And throughout all this time, Natsume had never really gone out of his way to explain where our friendship went wrong or why he'd acted as he did. We didn't talk as much as we used to and slowly, I almost forgot all about our intimate friendship all those years ago.

Until now, almost two years later.

"I'm serious, Mikan," Nonoko stage whispers. "Natsume has been staring at you more than usual. I mean, remember when he used to do that when we were little? If you thought he stared at you a lot in fifth grade, you can totally see he's got it _bad _for you now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sumire, who's been silent for the most part, flicks her gaze upward as if calling to the heavens and mutters, "Please. I'm sure you're not _that _dense. You've caught him looking before and I'll say what I said when we were eleven: he likes you."

I frown.

"Here, let me put this in idiot terms," Hotaru cut in smoothly. "Remember our gym teacher in seventh grade? Remember how, whenever he walked by our homeroom class, Narumi would start getting flirty and could never really keep his eyes off of him?"

I nod slowly.

"That's how Hyuuga looks at you," she says tonelessly, then pauses, "Except, maybe without the flirting."

I shake my head and can't help but laugh, dipping my French fry in the tub of ketchup.

"Yeah, and like the last time you said it, Sumire, and again this time, I'll repeat myself: he doesn't like me. If he liked me so much, why hasn't he spoken two words to me for the last three years? I mean, he still talks to Ruka and even _you_, Sumire. He doesn't talk to me unless he needs to."

Sumire rolls her eyes. "Believe me or not, I don't really care. I _would _like to mention Natsume's become _the _most handsome guy I've ever laid my eyes on. I mean, you remember him being cute and try-hard badass when we were younger but _now, _frick man, he is the _real deal._"

"The real deal?" I ask dubiously.

And then, to my confusion, both Anna and Sumire look at each other, smirk and turn their eyes on me. "Mikan," Anna says clearly, "—I think you should come with us after school. Forget whatever plans you have. You _won't _want to miss this."

I look between them warily. "What are we doing?"

Sumire's smile is wicked, "Oh, you'll see. I've only got two words to say."

Without even looking at each other, their smirks widen, "Soccer game."

-;-

I don't quite understand how I find myself sitting on the bleachers watching the boys' soccer practice along with a slew of other girls, but I am.

I'm a volleyball player and Natsume's a soccer player.

I use my arms and he uses his legs.

Sumire says we even each other out.

I say we couldn't be any more opposite.

"Alright, gather 'round," Persona barks, forgetting there's a whistle around his neck and using his voice to project all around the field. Feet stop dribbling and heads turn. Persona tucks a soccer ball under his arm and flicks beady black eyes onto his players. "We'll have a fifteen minute scrimmage. Six against six and subs will come in when I say they do. Shirts to the left, skins to the right." He pauses when one of the boys move. Then, he follows, his voice icy smooth. "Danzo, you will move when I tell you to move."

I don't really pay attention to what he says next because Sumire half-shrieks before chanting, "Natsume for skins. Go skins, skins, skins."

"—Hyuuga, you're skins."

Another shriek comes up from more than half of the bleachers before I roll my eyes and watch Natsume lift the hem of his shirt up.

I blush and—

…

…

…

—I will _not _curse like a sailor.

—but if he is _not _the finest piece of—_no!_

I can hear Sumire and Anna cackling in the background and I refuse to prove them right.

So Natsume's gotten a bit more… masculine than he was when we were little. So what? That didn't prove anything at all. That doesn't prove he likes me and I still don't understand why I was made to—

"_Now _do you see how bad-ass he is? Look at the expression on his _face_, Mikan. Oh my God, he is so handsome, I could die," Sumire fans herself.

I roll my eyes. "You're being ridiculous."

But the longer Natsume plays, the more I blush. Since the _heck _when did he get like… like that!

He was never like _that. _

"—he looks so _good _when he sweats…"

"Could Natsume _be _anymore perfect? Academics, athletics—"

"—not to mention _ass_—"

"—hot _damn_!"

I feel _so _uncomfortable with these girls. I mean, this is Natsume. Natsume! My best fr—_friend_ since we were kids! It just… feels so wrong to listen to them go on and on about him like this.

Before I realize what I'm doing, I already hiss, "Could you _not _talk about him like he's a piece of meat?"

Some of them look confused, others affronted. Sumire waves them away before smirking at me. "Do I smell a bit of that natural rancid stench called jealousy?"

I look at her, unimpressed before sliding off the bleachers. "I'm heading out first. You can call me later."

"Mikan, wait!"

I send the both of them a wry look. "I'd rather not wait around and witness," I look at the fangirls pointedly, "… _that _again."

-;-

I'm eating dinner with Grandpa when the shrill tone of my cell phone goes off.

"Mikan…" he says disapprovingly.

"I know, I know," I say quickly, turning it off in my pocket. "I'm sorry, I forgot to turn it off. Let's continue, ok?"

Before he can do so much as nod, there are three knocks on the front door. I look at Grandpa curiously but he looks just as bewildered as I do. "I'll go get it. I'll be right back, Ji-chan."

It's Natsume, with his black hair as windswept as always and his eyes, intense and blazing. I don't know why butterflies are attacking my organs when my eyes meet his, but they are. He's so much taller than me now. I guess I've never really noticed since we have never really hung out enough for me to take note.

His eyes look into the house. "Am I interrupting dinner?"

His voice is so much deeper now too.

"It's just Grandpa and me. Wanna come in?" I swallow when he looks down at me, bottomless red eyes staring into mine.

He shrugs and strolls in.

When he weaves his way around my house (he's been here enough times when we were younger to know the place like the back of his hand) to the dining room, Ji-chan's face splits into a humongous smile. "Kid!"

I swear I see Natsume's lips twitch. "Old man," he says rudely.

"What brings you here, kid? You haven't been here in years! I was starting to think Mikan finally scared you away. She has that effect on people."

"Grandpa!"

Natsume smirks. "I won't argue with you there." His eyes look from my Grandpa to me and then back before he says politely, "Do you mind if I steal her?"

"Oh, go ahead!" Grandpa is shooing us out the door.

"But I haven't finished eating dinner!" I don't know what the heck is happening. "Grandpa, what—!"

The door slams shut behind us and I can feel Natsume's eyes trained on me. I cross my arms when he starts walking ahead of me and after a second of thought, I follow him slowly.

It's quiet, which is unusual for us.

Or at least, the old us.

"I hope you know I'm missing half my dinner because of you," I huff sullenly, falling into step behind him. His strides are so long now, it takes two steps to make one of his. As if he sees my effort, his pace slows and soon, we're walking side by side.

He tilts his head down just a bit and scoffs, "Leave it to you to bring up dinner."

"What can I say," I stuff my hands in my pockets. "We haven't talked—really talked—in years, Natsume. Or do I call you Hyuuga now? Because I doubt I'm close enough to you to be able to call you by your given name."

There is a pause before he says nonchalantly, "You sound bitter."

I stiffen and glare at him from the corner of my eyes. "Make whatever analysis you want."

He stops under a street lamp and looks at me with one of his neutral expressions. His face is illuminated in shadows and light. His eyes are hooded to the point where I can't even distinguish what color his eyes are. His cheeks are all smooth corners and dark shadows. His skin is pale white.

"Mikan," his tone is wry and genuine. "I'm not judging you."

My jaw drops, but he's already walking ahead and can't see it.

He just called me _Mikan. _

He never calls me Mikan!

It's always Polka Dots, Tangerines, Mandarins, Strawberries, Blueberries, Watermelon panties but… he called me Mikan.

Something is _up. _

"Natsume, wait up!"

I tug on the back of his jacket for him to slow down and he waits patiently as I catch my breath and look at him closely. He's still the same. He has to be the same. "Talk to me."

Natsume raises one eyebrow before looking off into the darkness. "Hn."

"Grunting at me is not talking, Natsume."

"…Hn."

I groan and jab him in the gut with my elbow. "You know, for ignoring me and ditching me all those years ago, you seem awfully friendly right now. I smell a rat," I tell him, letting go of his jacket and putting my hands on my hips. "And his name is Natsume Hyuuga."

"Polka Dots," he sighs, rolling his eyes before gesturing to me to walk with him. "You're being ridiculous."

"No," I hiss, "—ridiculous is you _shunning _me for like… three years out of the blue and expecting me to want to be buddy-buddy again when you decide you're ready to come back! I mean, c'mon Natsume! Explain to me what happened!"

I don't realize I'm crying until I feel the heat on my cheeks. I swipe them before he sees and take large, uneven breaths to calm myself.

"I'm sorry," his voice is soft.

I stiffen with surprise.

And then lash out. "For _what_? I don't get it! We were best friends one day, and the next, you're all moody and scowl-y and treating me like the first few months we met!" He doesn't say anything for a long while and I begin to laugh when I remember Sumire and Anna's words. "I have _no _idea how the heck Sumire got the idea in her head but that stupid Perm-dog had the nerve to tell me you _liked _me! What a joke!"

I shake my head and breathe out a shaky breath. "To think, even Hotaru was convinced."

Natsume doesn't say a word but I hear a jingle in his pockets while he rustles his house keys around his fingers. He's looking at me, but I can't look at him in the face for long before I feel the tightening of my throat again in frustration.

"Look, Natsume," I start out, "—I know you didn't take me away from my dinner just to have a walk. There's obviously something you want from me, so ask away."

Natsume pauses, but can't look at me. I wonder why, before he looks back and out of the blue, says, "I like you."

I bet I look like a fish but I'm too shocked to care. "But you were _mean _to me! You _left _me! What happened three years ago?"

Natsume closes his eyes but his lips twitch. "I was too short."

"What?"

He opens his eyes, only to glare at me. "Three years ago, I was too short."

I'm appalled. "Too short for _what_?"

There's a pregnant silence as Natsume sits on the edge of the sidewalk. I remain standing and just look at him. He couldn't possibly have—I refuse to believe he would be so completely insecure to just— "Natsume, too short for _what_?"

"You like making this difficult, don't you?" his voice is low, but irritable. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He has that 'you people are so annoying' look on his face before he breathes in and reiterates, "I was too short to be with you."

I laugh. I know he doesn't appreciate it but it's just so… what the _heck_! People don't avoid their best friends for years just because they're _too short_. I wipe the tears from my eyes and smirk at him. "So you were embarrassed to stand beside me because you were shorter than me? Natsume, who_ cares_!"

"That's not it, Stupid. I was too short to ask you out."

I—_what?_

"So you _did _like me?"

Natsume's expression is very unimpressed. "I've been told I made it really obvious, Polka Dots."

Again, I probably look like a fish.

"It…it doesn't look cool when the guy is shorter than the girl," he informs gruffly, sounding very much like he's trying to hide his embarrassment. "I couldn't ask you out unless I was taller. I refuse to date a girl that's taller than me."

I blink at him in shock. "Natsume… are you asking me out?"

The back of his neck is turning red by street lamp light and I snort before sitting beside him.

He still refuses to look at me.

"So you're saying, basically, that at eleven, you liked me but wouldn't make a move because I was taller than you at the time, so instead of being friends with me, you decided to cut off all ties and make me believe you were angry with me while you built up muscle and drank dairy until you were _taller _than me?"

I stop to catch my breath.

There is a pause before he replies, "When you put it like that, it sounds stupid."

-;-

"Hey Natsume?"

"… what Polka Dots? If you're going to make a jab at me again, I swear—"

"Do you want to walk to McDonalds or grab a smoothie? I'm still hungry."

Sigh, "I guess, only if—"

"NATSUME COULDN'T STOMACH DINNER BECAUSE HE WAS SO NERVOUS TO ASK YOU OUT!"

"…"

"…"

"… that sounded awfully like Koko."

"…he is going to _die_."

"…"

"…"

"You realize that if Koko's here and if he managed to eavesdrop without getting caught by us, Hotaru's most likely here, right?"

"…"

"And wherever Hotaru is, Sumire, Anna and Hayate are. And where Sumire is concerned, you know the whole _school _will know about it before second period tomorrow."

"…"

"So basically, you just spilled your whole 'I'm-too-short' reason to the whole school."

"…"

"…?"

His voice is gruff. "…Shut up, Polka Dots."

* * *

I took a page from Heartbroken Confession with the dialogue at the end, so props. Oh! And Romantically Loveless, IndigoGrapefruit and Heartbroken Confession all wrote me birthday fics, so give them a read! They're so sweet. :)

This is too long to be a drabble so let's just pretend this is a collection of oneshots instead. Forgive the OOC-ness. The soccer scene was inspired by one of my TBATB chapters titled _Shirts and Skins._

Thanks for reading. :)

_MHR_


	14. Three Idiots and a Bag of Chips

**Title:** Three Idiots and a Bag of Chips  
**Prompt: **#17 – socks [and Heartbroken Confession's prompt, "If you think that's bad, you haven't seen nothing yet."]  
**Pairing: **None. Koko-Kitsuneme-Mochu-Natsume-Ruka-Youichi Friendship.  
**Warning:** Crack-ish.  
**Dedication: **Heartbroken Confession - _because this reminds me of our friendship and Pokemon bitchslaps. _:]

-;-

-;-

"…What do you think, Natsume?"

Natsume looked away from the fountain to the table top.

Koko, Kitsuneme and Mochu looked at him expectantly with wide grins on their faces. Natsume could only wish they hadn't asked him to give his opinion on the subject.

They were currently in the process of devising a plan to steal back the "stuff" that Jinno had confiscated from them during Math class and Natsume wanted no part of it. This had been going on for a good four days. Apparently Koko thought the items were too important to just "_go to waste!_" and knowing Kitsuneme and Mochu, they were ready for anything that seemed even the least rebellious.

Natsume's lips thinned and when Koko cracked the puppy dogs, Natsume merely rolled his eyes and peered at the poorly drawn map rolled out on the picnic table.

Seeing Natsume's attention drawn, Mochu jumped to explain, "Okay, so this is what's going to happen. I'm going to levitate Koko up to the roof. He'll have the rope ladder, of course, so that Kitsuneme and I can follow him. We'll jump into the vent on the roof—"

"Do we know there's a vent on the roof?" Kitsuneme interrupted.

"There are _always _vents in the roof," Koko rolled his eyes, gesturing to Mochu to continue. "Have you _not _watched Inspector Gadget?"

Kitsuneme shrugged.

"_Anyway_, we're going to jump into the vent on the roof that'll lead us to the Storage room on the fourth floor, which is beside that room nobody can open—"

"—it only opens when you need it—"

"—like the Room of Requirement!"

"—_anyway_," Koko pressed, taking the crude map and shoving it in Natsume's face. "We're going to be following this route. We'll slink past the Cooking class and scale the walls of the stairwell to the third floor where we'll _conveniently _leave some nun chucks."

"In case there are robots," Kitsuneme explained.

"We'll probably need to buy some of Hotaru's cloud socks," Koko mused thoughtfully. "In case there are motion sensors on the floor again."

Mochu elbowed Kitsuneme out of the way. "Anyway! We're going to con Iincho to give us his keys so that when we get to the first floor—"

"—and if we can't manage to knock the doors down with brute force—"

"—we can just use the keys to get into the room where we'll get to Jin-Jin's desk and retrieve what was rightfully ours!"

Kitsuneme frowned. "What if his desk is locked? Or he somehow made it so that anybody who came too close to his desk got electrocuted?"

Mochu brightened, "Let's get Iincho to do it!"

"No," Koko shook his head. "The nun chucks might work. Nun chucks dominate every ninja weapon out there."

"Kunai."

Four heads turned to look at the gray-haired four year old whose eyes, big and green, were looking at Mochu critically. "Kunai better," he repeated.

Koko scoffed, "I like you, Youichi, so I'll forget you said that. The point is, I doubt anybody's ever tried to get into Jin-Jin's desk. Nobody's brave enough 'cept us."

Natsume fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"We should wear socks on our heads!"

Youichi looked confusedly at his senpai and Natsume could only shake his head.

From behind him, Ruka advanced and mused, "This sounds bad."

"If you think that's bad, you haven't seen nothing yet," Natsume grumbled, begrudgingly lifting Youichi into his lap when the little boy tugged on his shorts. "When you grow up," Natsume said seriously, "—promise me you won't turn into them."

Youichi merely blinked and repeated his favorite ninja weapon.

Ruka snorted, "Are they still going on about the—"

"Ruka!" Three voices chorused. "Was Natsume telling you about our plan?!" Without allowing him to respond, the three of them leaned forward and proceeded to retell their plans, adding in some dangerous leaps, dives and some more flying. They even went as far as planning the assassination of any robots that may come between them and their—

"That wouldn't work," Ruka shook his head. "You know the Academy's gotten Imai to remake all of their security robots. They won't just go down from a pair of nun chucks."

Koko would not be put out. "Then we'll use Youichi's kunai!"

Youichi seemed to brighten.

"There are so many flaws to this plan, I don't even know where to start," Ruka shook his head, glancing at Natsume who'd stayed silent throughout the whole story-telling. "What do you think, Natsume?"

Natsume shrugged and glanced, once again, at the crudely drawn map. "For one thing, you're saying Jinno's class is on the first floor, which would mean you wouldn't _have _to fly to the roof to get there. You could just walk through the front doors."

"But that's no fun!" Koko exclaimed, earning a chorus of agreement from Mochu and Kitsuneme.

Natsume didn't look impressed. "The only thing wrong with this map," he said dryly, "—is that you've been going to this school for about three years—Koko, you've been here longer—and you haven't noticed that Jinno's class isn't on the first floor, it's on the third."

Instead of looking put out, Kitsuneme brightened, "Which means we can still climb up to the roof! Yes!"

"Which brings me to my next point," Natsume broke in, "—why would you need to levitate Koko to the roof, slide down the vent and scale the walls back down to the third floor when you—" he pointed at Kitsuneme, "—can just fly up there yourself, leave the window open in class beforehand and get into Jinno's office without involving these two idiots?"

He pointed at Koko and Mochu but the two of them were too busy gaping at him to be offended by his remark.

"—I'm in it because this was _my _plan!" Koko announced. "I can't be excluded from my own plans! That's like… planning a birthday party at Game World and not being allowed to play the games while all of _you _guys get to play the game and what about the birthday boy, huh? What about the birthday boy!"

"Koko," Ruka said slowly, "—calm down."

"Plus," Kitsuneme chirped, "—we already bought the nun chucks from that Naruto fanshop in Central town. I had to use three months allowance to buy that stuff!"

"I hope you're not talking about the plastic ones," Natsume commented wryly.

Koko waved him off. "Besides the technicalities, what do you think of the plan?"

Three pairs of eyes alighted with hopeful expectation.

Youichi snorted.

Natsume refused to comment.

And Ruka merely sighed. "Are you really going to go through all of this trouble for some fake map Tonouchi-senpai drew for you?"

Kitsuneme gasped, completely affronted. "It is _not _fake! Koko and I went to the wall on the Southern side of the school and knocked on the cement and we_ swear, _one part was _completely _hollow! Completely! THERE IS A TREASURE."

Mochu was offended. "You went without me?!"

Natsume was unimpressed. "It's a fake map."

Koko was stubborn. "It is _not _fake! Why would Tono-senpai give us a fake map?"

Natsume snorted, "Because you're stupid enough to believe him?"

The three of them looked at each other dubiously before bursting out in laughter. Koko shook his head, as if he was explaining to a child, "We may not be the tastiest chips in the bag but we sure are crunchy."

Then they proceeded to rehash their plans.

* * *

So judging from the response I got from the last oneshot, you guys like AU stories? Which stories do you like more? Canon (based on the manga) or AU (Alternate Universe)?

Thankyou for reviewing! I'm a slow replier, so if you get a reply for a review you sent two weeks (months) ago, um, sorry? :( I'm trying! Really!

_MHR_


	15. Jealousy, Babies, Jealousy

**Title:** Jealousy, Babies, Jealousy [part three of _Jealousy Made Him Do Stupid Things_]  
**Prompt: **#9 – cupcake  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan (Anna?)  
**Dedication:** WINTER OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS. :)  
**Genre: **Romance/Humor

-;-

-;-

"Apparently Mikan's been looking for you."

Ruka watched closely as Natsume's expression shifted a bit in its usual neutrality but he knew Natsume well enough to know the boy was smug.

Ruka could only shake his head.

Anna snorted. "She's on the _prowl_. It's actually pretty funny," Anna commented, swirling the contents of her cup. She blinked brown eyes after taking a sip and sighed with satisfaction. She looked back at the sole raven-haired boy at the table and said thoughtfully, "I thought we were being pretty subtle, but it appears she may have caught us trying to hide behind the trunk of the tree once Mochu all but fled the scene."

"You can't blame him," Yuu muttered under his breath, huffing slightly when three pairs of eyes stared at him questionably. "What? If I knew Natsume was after me, I'd probably run too. I mean, you weren't exactly very astute about burning Mochu's fingers, Natsume."

For a second Natsume looked offended. "Singed," he corrected. Then he shrugged. "I wouldn't go after you."

"Don't be too sure," Ruka wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I seem to recall Yuu having this enormous crush on Mikan when we were ten."

Natsume's jaw tightened.

Yuu reddened almost instantly. "I-I did not! I'm not attracted to Mikan at all!"

There was a pause before Anna quirked an eyebrow. "Are you saying Mikan isn't pretty?" Anna smirked cheekily, looking to see if their waiter was back. Their waiter was a senior boy, extremely cute, but apparently half-shrieking and stuttering in front of boys didn't make them want to come back and Anna really wanted some cake.

She sighed and watched as Natsume glared at Yuu.

"That's not what I meant! Mikan is a very cute girl. Very pretty," Yuu said hastily, eyeing the dark look appearing in Natsume's eyes. "I mean, she's beautiful and really kind and if I were to choose one girl in the Academy that I got along with best and wanted to spend my day with—" A shiver from Natsume's smothering aura passed through Yuu's spine before he groaned and all but smacked his head on the table. "—_this is not coming out the way I want it to_—"

Ruka snorted and shook his head. "Yuu, please stop while you're down."

"You were supposed to stop me before I made a fool of myself!"

"_I'm _supposed to stop you?" Ruka said incredulously. "Why am _I _supposed to stop you?"

"You're my date!" Yuu spluttered, wincing at another spike in Natsume's Alice. "I'm counting on you to—"

Ruka interrupted him with a dark glare and a growl. "I don't want to be on a date with you! Why do you keep bringing that up? Geez, Iincho."

"That's cold."

Ruka shot Natsume a dark look before quaintly telling him to shut up.

Anna looked over her shoulder once more to see if the waiter was coming back. "Oh, you know Yuu's just worried about his English mark. Narumi-sensei is really going to mark hard on this project. You remember that one year we had to write him love letters for the exam?" Anna shrugged lightly, flicking a sugar cube with her finger. "There weren't many people who did well on that. I even heard you failed it, Natsume."

Natsume raised an eyebrow and looked at Anna until she squirmed.

"I passed," was all he said.

This caused Ruka to laugh but Natsume silenced him with a glare.

Anna was curious. "How'd you manage to pass? I'd think a ten year old boy that's as awkward as you wouldn't know _how _to write a love letter. Or at least, you wouldn't bother trying. What happened?"

Natsume looked at her blandly, ignoring Ruka's accusations and Yuu's squawks of protests. "You ask too many questions."

Anna shrugged and regarded the two squabbling boys beside her going on and on about _we are going to fail this assignment!_ And _are you _saying _you want to give this date a try, because I am _really _uncomfortable with that idea, Iincho—_before a dish was set before her.

She blinked brown eyes at the plate of strawberry cake and then looked up to see red eyes looking at her stoically.

She frowned, "Natsume, did you just—"

"You asked me how I passed, didn't you?" Natsume cut her off abruptly. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded at the slice of cake. "That'll give you something to write about."

She blinked again, and then grinned. "So this is your sad attempt at making this date worthwhile, huh?" She snorted a laugh before picking up her fork. "Well, I've got to say, Natsume. You really know how to be original. I mean, I've never stalked another girl on a date before."

Instead of snapping at her like she thought he would, Natsume merely smirked. "You have to pass somehow."

Anna looked at him and shook her head. "You know what? You're something else, Natsume—"

"_HYUUGA NATSUME!_"

Four heads whipped around to look at the livid female approaching.

Anna smiled, "—and you're going to get hell for it. I'm going to take this," she picked up the plate, "—and these two and trust that you're going to pay for my slice." She winked at him and wiggled her finger to get the two blondes to follow. "Good luck. Looks like you're going to need it."

Natsume merely scoffed. "Get out of here."

"I had fun on our date too," she singsonged and with several protests and then a giggle, the three of them were gone.

"Natsume! I want an explanation!"

Natsume sighed and half turned in his seat to look at Mikan, whose brown hair was tied in a plait that curved over her shoulder and a dark frown on her face.

"You jus—"

"You're wearing a dress."

Mikan's mouth snapped up before she wrinkled her brow. She seemed to sputter for three long seconds before she planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin up. "Yeah, so? That has nothing to do with you. And you know what _else _has nothing to do with you? Mochu!"

Natsume looked disgruntled. "He's my friend."

"A friend that you _burn_?! Seriously, Natsume, what _was _that?! Did you think I wouldn't see your legs dangling from the tree when you were practically _breathing down my neck_?"

Natsume looked at her, unimpressed.

Mikan huffed and collapsed into the chair across from him.

After a pause, he shrugged. "I wasn't breathing down your neck."

"I wasn't talking _literally_. Geez! And people call _me _an idiot!" Mikan threw her hands up and half shrieked. "You know what? You can be so immature when you're jealous!"

Natsume started slightly and looked at her. "What did you just say?"

Mikan narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, speaking slowly, "You are _so _immature when you're _jealous_."

He mentally did a double take and scrutinized her more closely. Wasn't she supposed to be dense? He could've sworn the other day when Imai and Shouda were talking about babies and storks, saying how the _babies_ delivered the storks, the idiot had eaten it up as soon as the words had left their lips.

"Why would I be jealous?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

Immediately, a huge grin split her face. "Because Hotaru told me so! She said you've always been jealous when it came to me but seriously Natsume," she was shaking her head, "—just because Mochu likes me better than you, doesn't mean you should be jealous. At least you're smart! You even have a fanclub!"

_What the hell._

"You think," he started slowly, "—that I'm jealous _of _you."

She pressed her lips into a line and leaned over to pick up the hand he was resting on the table. She clasped both of hers around it and held them gently. "Natsume, listen to me. It's _okay. _I understand. You're jealous of me, but since you can't hurt me with your Fire, you hurt the people around me but that's where you're going wrong. You can't hurt Mochu because he likes me best. That's just unfair."

_She was so stupid!_

…but he kind of liked the feeling of holding hands with her.

"How about this," Mikan proposed, leaning back in her chair. "How about I try not to be so cool that your friends like me better than you, and how about you stop setting people on fire? How does that sound?"

Natsume mentally shook his head and wondered what the _hell _he found so endearing about this girl. With his free hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You're … you…"

"Please, Natsume. Say you'll give it a try at least." Natsume's lips thinned and she must've seen something akin to refusal on his face because she said hastily, "I'll keep to my side of the deal. I promise! I'll… I'll report to you in between classes so that you can make sure." At this, Natsume perked up. "I'll… um… make sure I tell you where I'm going? I don't know… I won't be cool. I promise."

He looked at her skeptically. "You'll have to walk with me to class every morning and make sure you stay away from Mochu."

Mikan nodded. "Of course."

"You'll have to stay away from those pervy senpais and Narumi—"

She looked almost flabbergasted. "I thought you hated Tsubasa-senpai and Tono-senpai! They'll be so pleased when I tell them!"

Slightly alarmed, Natsume paused. "I thought you said you'd stick to your side of the bargain and not talk to them," Natsume scowled, standing up and throwing more rabbits than required to pay for the tab. "Too bad, the deal's off. The next thing you know, I'm going to blast Imai off the face of the planet."

Instead of looking concerned, she merely scoffed. "Hotaru would blast _you _off the face of the Earth before you could even _touch _her!" Natsume shot her an annoyed look until she put her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okaaaay! Geez. I won't talk to Tsubasa-senpai _as much_."

"At all."

"As _much_."

Natsume paused and then waited for her to catch up to his strides. "… Fine. You'll have to stay away from Iincho. Kitsuneme—"

"Iincho? Why Iincho? What'd Iincho ever do to you?!" Mikan exclaimed. "The next thing you know, you're going to ask me to stay away from Koko and Hotaru and then… then _you're _going to be the only one I'm allowed hanging out with!"

Her pitch slowly gave way to hysteria.

Natsume smirked.

…fin…

_

* * *

_

Not my best because I still think I fail at writing Anna but hey! Tell me what you thought. :)  
And it seems it is almost a 1:1 ratio for Canon and AU so, I suppose I'll just keep doin' what I'm doin' and hope you guys like it. Thank you for your input for the last chapter!  
Oh, I have a SumireKoko and a Dangerous Abilities oneshot to post next. Look out for them. :)  
And uh, check my profile [since I'm an epic fail at life]?  
Thank you!

_MHR_


	16. Breakfast at Persona's

**Title:** Breakfast at Persona's  
**Prompt: **#50 – butter  
**Pairing: **Dangerous Abilities Class.  
**Dedication:** Corvus corone [_Sorry! This is really late!_] And you guys should definitely check out her _Those Dangerous Abilities _fic-set. It's to die for. :)  
**  
**

-;-

-;-

Tono drummed his fingers against the table in annoyance and listened half-heartedly at his kouhai's ramblings.

It was too early for this… he'd been having such a hot dream about Shizune too…

"Ugh – this is so _stupid_!"

He barely registered Tsubasa's despair, giving the boy a bland once over before turning sullenly back at the grey paint of the walls. From around them, lilted, half-hearted murmurs filtered through the room. The atmosphere was one of dark impatience.

"I don't even know what I'm _doing _here!"

"I think we _both _know why you're here," Rui said coyly and Tono was vaguely pleased this was _not _happening to him. Rui continued, ignoring the deathly glares from his peers. "Or if we're being honest, _who _you're here for." He chuckled in his lowest come-hither baritone, rested his chin on his knuckles and grinned wolfishly at the sullen boy across from him. Tono glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and shuddered.

… _Far too early._

It did amuse him, however, that Tsubasa looked like he wanted to punch the living daylights out of Rui. It was almost a surprise he _didn't_ but considering this particular Dangerous Ability had a _curse _on him, Tono didn't blame Tsubasa for settling for narrowing his eyes into a glare. "Shut up, Amane. Why don't you hit on somebody your own age?" Tsubasa's eyes gleamed when he saw him. "Like Tono."

He blinked, startled. "Don't yo—" Tono sputtered, recoiling at the look Rui threw at him. "Actually, _Tsubasa_, we've already had this talk, thanks. I'm into _girls_."

"What? And I'm _not?_" Tsubasa looked offended. "I'd like to let you know that Misaki and I are well on our way to our _two_-year anniversary and I wouldn't be _adverse _to it, Rui, if _ow_! Cut it out, Rui _ow! _What in – _fine_! Misaki and I will be celebrating our two year anniversary soon and I think it'd be a good time for you to realize, Rui… _(he groaned) senpai… _(a shudder) that I _will never like you._"

"Cold," muttered Natsume from the makeshift window's ledge with just a trace of amusement. There wasn't actually a window there, because being underground made that startlingly difficult. And Persona, after several failed attempts at preventing the Fireboy from skipping out on the holiest of holy traditions, relocated their meetings from the attic (Rui was displeased because doing secret things amongst his fellow Dangerous Ability types in the attic sounded very, _very _appealing) to the den (which, when he thought about it, wasn't that bad. Dens were rather hot, too).

Natsume had been shunned for a total of two weeks (meaning two breakfast meetings), until Tsubasa made it a point to come up and make conversation. And where Tsubasa was, Tono was (for protection) and wherever _those _two were, Rui was, and wherever Rui was… well, nobody _wanted _to be. But since the den was rather small to be housing more than two dozen rather… opinionated characters, even if they tried to fan out, Rui was _everywhere._

And Rui being Rui, he always seemed to be particularly happy.

"I love it when you say my name like that…" Rui chuckled hotly, brushing his cascade of golden hair over his shoulder. "And everyone knows you and the Harada girl aren't going out. I remember her being rather… _comfortable_ with Akira-kun's love interest."

"Don't call me that," Tono growled heatedly, "—and Shizune is _not _a lesbian, and I'm not in love with her either." He seemed to be sulking. "She said she would never date a guy who had longer hair than hers."

Rui choked on his spit. "Unforgivable!" he gasped, stroking his hair as if in comfort. "If it's any consolation, I _adore _your hair."

Tono frowned.

"Only because it's prettier than yours," Youichi deadpanned in his sweet, neutral voice, ignoring the shocked gasp from their resident gay Dangerous Ability. He walked over to the window and blocked out the chatter from behind him, saying softly, "Natsume-senpai… I don't want to be here."

"Who _does_?" chorused several male voices.

"Again," Tsubasa stressed in a wail, "—I'm not even a Dangerous Ability Type student! Why the hell am I _here _for? Why the hell are _you _here?" He asked Tono. "We're Special, not Dangerous!"

Rui chuckled heatedly, but Tsubasa whirled around to point a finger in his direction, "Don't even _go _there."

From Rui's left, Hayate groaned, glancing at Hajime in pleading. "When will the food get here? The sooner we eat, the quicker we can get out." He spared a glance at the gathered students and grimaced. "We're pathetic."

"Speak for yourself, comicboy," muttered a rough voice from the corner. "And could you drama queens shut _up_ for once? It's six in the morning and the last thing I wanna hear is you guys whine about being here and your love lives… _again_."

Hayate hunkered down in his seat and mumbled lowly, "Leave my comics out of it. Cool Blue Sky is _real_," before several Dangerous Abilities started to talk amongst themselves, filling the room up with mindless chatter.

The whole of the Dangerous Ability class was found in the Elementary School branches' den, deep within the school on this particular Saturday morning. Or well, _every _Saturday morning. This was a regular thing, after all. Persona thought it 'boosted morale' and made their team 'stronger'.

Rui wholeheartedly agreed.

Everyone else didn't.

The only thing that usually happened when they were all shoved in the same room for an hour or two under pretenses of 'getting along' was the explicit display on why exactly they were classified as _Dangerous_. Tono didn't think this was very fair when he had to rely on the likes of _Natsume Hyuuga_ to be on the offense (especially when the kid tried to ditch whenever possible – difficult when there are no windows and the only exit is the _entrance_, which Persona conveniently locks while preparing breakfast) or Tsubasa, his kouhai who would _never _let him live it down.

Of course, there was the cute Ice Queen, Nobara Ibaragi, that always tried to be helpful, but when he'd amplified her Alice one time…things had lost control… _fast_.

"Shut up," growled Natsume from the corner, his manga spread out over his lap. "If you give me a reason, I _will _burn this place down."

Tsubasa rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what we _all _want?"

Natsume glared from his window seat before propping his manga back up on his lap.

Tsubasa continued to flail. "You guys are in the Dangerous Ability class, for Heaven's sake!" He wailed. "You guys come _back _from life-threatening missions. I'm sure one of you idiots has managed to open a locked door!"

He looked over at Tono, who merely shrugged before slouching in his seat. "Does my Amplification Alice _look _like it can open locked doors?" he muttered dryly, giving Tsubasa a pointed look clearly stating he was an idiot.

Tsubasa fought the urge to stick his tongue out before he turned to the only happy student within the room. Violet eyes grinned back at him. "Well?" Tsubasa ground out. "I'm sure you have something up your sleeve."

"Me?" Rui pointed innocently at himself. "Well, no. I don't have anything up my _sleeve_. I _do _have something down my—"

"Are you an idiot," Natsume hissed, whipping his head to look at the entire room. His eyes landed on Tsubasa before his eyes narrowed. "Does a Curse Alice have the ability to open a locked door? No. Moron. The only way to open the door is to break it down and we're all capable of that. The problem is, nobody wants Persona on their ass." He turned an eye to Rui and immediately scowled.

Youichi took out one of his handheld game consoles and sat by Natsume's knees.

Tsubasa looked like he wanted to snap Natsume's neck. "I am _trying _to keep my hopes up, ok? I'd rather not be here with _you _and the rest of these guys when Persona comes back in here—"

Tono groaned, "—not to mention when he decides to wear that _disgusting _kitchen-set—"

"Have you _seen _him without make-up? My God, it made my heart curl up and die."

"You should see him when he tries to smile."

Rui shrugged, "I don't really notice," he said truthfully. "You have to admit, he makes a mean stack of blueberry pancakes."

More than thirty sets of eyes immediately fell on him.

Rui loved the attention.

Just when Tono looked like he wanted to throw himself down a cliff, there was the distinct sound of the doorknob jiggling, a silvery click and then the creak of the door hinges.

And then—

"Who wants muffins!"

* * *

I'll let you guys decide what you think Persona looks like in the morning. :) Personally, I like the man-boy whose name is the first seven letters of the first word of this sentence. Whoo. Ahem. Yes. :) … D: … :( I'm tired.

_MHR_


	17. Run Don't Walk

**Disclaimer: I don't own the title, Hey Monday does.  
Title: **Run Don't Walk  
**Prompt:** #23 – grass  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Dedication:** Ariisha-chan [whose reviews inspired me to write another Darkish!Natsume.] :) And thanks for all of the reviews last chapter, guys. I haven't had the time to reply to most of them because of some issues I'm having right now but I have read them and I _laugh _at the reviews [es. Heartbroken Confession and Queen Tiria] who didn't even know what to say to the last drabble. :D  
**Genre: **Mystery/Drama

-;-

-;-

_She wasn't going to make it. She wasn't going to make it._

Her feet were flying over the gravel and grass of the forest and Mikan could hear her panicked, harsh breaths like a siren in her ears. She'd always been nervous moving about at night and with the dark forest looming over her and the constant noises echoing throughout the dark shadows cast by the moonlight, Mikan wasn't surprised her pulse was racing despite practically flying down the uneven path.

There was a distinct rustling of leaves from behind her and the crashing of feet following in her wake. To somebody who was unaware they were being followed, they'd take the midnights sounds for nature, but Mikan wasn't unaware. What she'd done… she'd be surprised if they _didn't_ go after her.

What probably chilled her even further was the fact that, despite noticing the definite extra noises her pursuer was making, it almost _did _sound natural, and that meant only one thing to her: this wasn't her pursuer's first time pursuing.

Whoever it was, they were experts.

Mikan clutched harder at the tiny video tape in her hand. She was so focused on not letting it go that she hadn't noticed the obstacle ahead. Her heart froze at the loud, keening wail she let loose into the night. But what really had her blood stop flowing was the fact that she could see her hands were marked with dirt, blood and pebbles.

She could _see _them, _both _of them.

_Crap. _

The tape.

The _flippin' _tape. Where was it? She looked frantically around on her hands and knees, straining her ears to try to pick up the slightest of sounds. Already, her heart was going a mile a minute once more at the doubled noises picking up. _Where was the tape!_

She was patting the ground blindly, trying not to start sobbing. She couldn't have done all of this for nothing. She couldn't! Who knew what kind of freakshow was following her and God, she could blow this story wide ope—

Her fingers met a smooth, cold edge and she almost wanted to cry.

From behind her came a dark chuckle of amusement.

Trying not to scream, she tucked the tape in a safe spot and waited for her pursuer to say something. Gooseflesh pebbled on her skin and she'd never felt so cold before. She didn't have to wait very long for him to start.

"So you _are _a girl," he said nonchalantly. A chill ran down her spine and Mikan didn't know why but the way he said that made her feel so much more vulnerable, like he wanted to take advantage of her. He chuckled once more before she heard him take a few steps closer. "Not a talker are you? That's alright."

Swallowing her fear, Mikan slowly turned her neck, only then realizing she was still sitting on her haunches like a good, obedient _animal. _The rush of anger and disgust came quickly and she tried to come to her feet but one strong hand held her shoulder to the ground.

His hand was so cold.

She tried not to shiver.

"Now, now. Let's not be hasty. I like the way things are at the moment."

She turned to glare at him just in time to see his mouth stretch into a cruel, albeit handsome boyish smirk. "You're pretty," he sounded like he was talking about the weather. "Too bad." He let one of his _coldcoldcold _fingers trail against her cheek before she flinched back and his hand dropped away.

"Give me the tape."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mikan bit her lip, shivering when he chuckled once more. Before she could even make sense of his quick movement, he had one hand around her neck in a distinctly uncomfortable grip and his eyes were gleaming red. Actual red. Mikan didn't understand it. It was probably her fearful mind making up delusions.

"Pretty and stupid, are you? That's a shame. I was hoping I wouldn't have to harm that pretty face of yours." He bent down a bit to look her more easily into her face. "You know, if we'd met under different circumstances, I think I would've liked you. As it were, however, you're just starting to piss me off."

He caught the wrist she'd raised to hit him and his voice only turned colder. "Give me the tape. You _know _what I'm talking about."

"Even if I did have the tape, whatever tape you're talking about, like I would give it to someone as disgusting as you," Mikan lifted up her chin, trying to narrow her eyes despite still shuddering in fear.

His grin widened and despite him being so handsome, it looked so malicious, evil. "Really." He raised an eyebrow before shrugging, letting a feral bark of laughter rip into the night. "Well, you can't say I didn't try." He hauled her up roughly by the elbow and pulled both of her hands behind her back. Mikan felt cold metal encircle both wrists before hearing the distinct click of the handcuffs. "When Persona's done with you, I'm sure you'll have wished you just gave it up to me."

He started dragging her back to where she'd just fled and Mikan struggled to get away and tried not to fall from being pulled backwards. "I'd rather die!" she cried angrily, looking for a possible way of escape while tugging against the handcuffs that were biting into her skin.

Her heart chilled when he laughed darkly.

"Oh, you will."

* * *

To be continued?


	18. When it Rains, it Pours

**Title: **When it Rains, it Pours  
**Prompt:** #42 – jacket  
**Pairing: **Yuka x Izumi  
**Dedication:** I lost a friend on March 25th, 2010. So C.F., this one's for you, kid. Your smile will haunt me forever, but the idea of being haunted by an angel doesn't scare me.

-;-

-;-

It rained that day, sensei.

It's funny, I remember telling you just how much I liked it, when it rained. I remember, one time, just staring at the sky and, I must've been there for a while because you came up to me some time after and told me to get out of the rain before I got sick. Your face was so serious, then, and you looked so concerned when I started laughing.

Because that was the first time I ever saw you not smiling, sensei, but a second after you called me an idiot girl, you took your jacket off and in a second, we were both running back to the school with your jacket over our heads, laughing.

I laughed a lot, back then. But now I remember, I only ever laughed when I was with you.

I wondered why you never came back that night. You said you'd come back straightaway, kissed my forehead and told me we'd build a family together. You pulled on your shirt and sent me that smile that, at the time, I guess I didn't understand.

I remember feeling so happy that you'd fight for me, but that night, I wish you'd just stay and stop fighting. Maybe then you'd still be alive. Maybe then I'd never have to wonder about the _what ifs_. Maybe then I wouldn't have to try to remember the times when I was actually happy. Because, sensei, if you were still here, there wouldn't be a moment when I was sad.

I remember that day I first heard the rumors. It was two days after you hadn't come back and by then, I was just so worried for you. You were never one to break promises, sensei. You only ever lied when it was silly.

They told me you committed suicide and of course, even though I cried, I didn't believe it. You were too happy. You were always smiling. You were the hope for so many students, sensei. I knew you could never be so selfish as to take your own life. What of Serio-kun, sensei? What about the Special Ability class? What about me? We all needed you. _I _needed you. I knew you would never just leave, like that, like the way they said. You weren't—aren't—that type of person.

Perhaps that is why I love you, continue to love you even though you're gone.

It was days after that I discovered you were killed, murdered in cold blood, and I hadn't even processed you were gone then, sensei. I always had this hopeful part in my head that believed you'd see me sitting, crying or looking blankly on the stairwell by the Ability class and that you'd pop up from around the corner to try to scare me.

But when I learnt about the Elementary School Principal, that's when I knew, really knew.

You were gone, sensei.

You were gone because you fought for _me._

So now, let me fight for you.

It rained yesterday, sensei.

It rained and I thought of you.

* * *

I would've tried to make this longer but I couldn't think. If there are any errors - I can't say I care enough to edit.


	19. Good Guys Win, Bad Guys Lose

**Title: **Good Guys Win, Bad Guys Lose, but Hayate Doesn't Mind  
**Prompt:** #34 – stone  
**Pairing: **Hotaru x Hayate  
**Dedication:** Thank you for the condolences. Writing helps distract me so here's another drabble for today.**  
**

-;-

-;-

Hotaru tried not to twitch when she heard another rustle just in front of her. It was quite sad actually. She'd done research on the sixteen year old boy and apparently he associated with the likes of Rui Amane within the Dangerous Ability class. He'd gone on his fair share of missions and had the Alice of Wind. It was rumored his Alice was so precise, so sharp, ferocious and intense that he'd been doing undercover work for Alice Academy for _years _now.

So why, _why _was it he was acting like such an amateur?

Mikan was chattering mindlessly into her ear about her Tsubasa-senpai and Tono-senpai fighting about some things she didn't understand—_no surprises there_—but Hotaru only had eyes for the constant whisperings amongst the bushes in front of her.

There was a particularly loud _crack _before Hotaru picked up a small stone beside her on the ground and stuffed it into her slingshot. Mikan didn't even have time to pause and contemplate her actions before the stone was released, it sailed through the air and gave a startlingly hollow _ping _against the target and a muttered curse echoed soon after.

"You were saying," Hotaru said, flipping a page of the text in her lap.

"Wha… Hotaru, I think there's someone in the forest!"

Hotaru looked up at her best friend and tried not to roll her eyes. Really, sometimes she wondered how Mikan could be so oblivious. It was true, one of the things she'd liked best about Mikan was her complete lack of negativity and constant idiotic, if not amusing, remarks, but really. She'd seen her shoot a rock at the bush and still hadn't been able to make the connection?

"Here, I'm going to check!"

Hotaru's head snapped up and she reached out to grab Mikan's wrist but the girl was already on her feet and sprinting towards the lining of the trees. "You idiot! Get back here _now._"

As always, the idiot just giggled and said, "You don't scare me, Hotaru!"

"The stupid idiot," Hotaru hissed, all but throwing her book onto the ground and lurching to her feet. Did she not understand that there was a Dangerous Ability student hiding there? He'd tried to harm her, once upon a time! God, the things she went through for this rainbow-loving girl made Hotaru wonder if it was really worth it.

By the time she made it to the edge of the Northern Forest, Hayate Matsudaira was already holding Mikan by the wrist, looking nervous about the racket she was making and amused at her attempts to free herself from his grip. He was, after all, a head and some taller than her.

"Unhand her, Matsudaira."

She watched with a twitch when his head snapped up and his face split into a brilliant, boyish grin. He looked ready to call her the name she came to _detest_, then looked like he was trying to remember her _actual _name, before he settled for, "Hi!"

"Let go of her," Hotaru repeated monotonously, carefully, slowly, easing the Baka gun out of her pocket and in full view. "Let go of her now."

"Hotaru, help!"

Hotaru wanted to groan when the boy's face brightened. "Hotaru Imai! Hello. I—I… What's your idea of the perfect date?"

Did he not get the hint when he'd continued to ask her questions while in the Hanahime Den and she _refused _to answer? Really. What was with all of these morons content on crowding in her presence. It was making her nauseous. "You never answered your favorite color!"

In his earnest attempts to ask questions and get answers, he'd let go of Mikan who was half running, half slinking towards her. When she'd seen that he'd let go of Mikan, Hotaru didn't hesitate to shoot him in the face with her gun before turning to walk away, Mikan at her heels. She didn't have to turn around to know Hayate had dodged. She could hear him following slowly. "Let's go out!" he exclaimed from behind.

"No."

"I insist, Hotaru-chan!"

"Do I look like I care?"

He was sputtering. "Please, consider me. I will withstand your blows 'til the end!"

She turned around then, narrowed her eyes and all but hissed, "Leave me alone, you pedo."

"Why do you resist so?" Hayate wailed in a way Hotaru thought to be far too dramatic. "Why is it that you punish me and still can't love me?"

"You tried to kill me," Hotaru commented blandly. "Besides, if memory serves, you're a bad guy and bad guys will be punished."

She knew it was the wrong thing to say when Hayate stopped in his tracks, mumbled, "Cool Blue Sky kicks _ass _when she says that," and promptly swooned.

Really.

These people were crazy.

She'd always known there was something in the water.

* * *

I'll continue the NatsumeMikan from the seventeenth installment when I have the chance.  
Thank you.


	20. Smooth, Thy Name is Mikan

**Title: **Smooth, Thy Name is Mikan  
**Prompt:** #44 – handkerchief  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Dedication:** All of my **readers** and **reviewers**, because I'm aware I suck at updating sometimes—lots of the time—but you guys stick with me anyway and that means more than you guys will ever know, and the support I got for losing my friend, guys you're great. I find that writing really helps take my mind off of it, so here's another drabble. It's disgustingly happy because at the moment, that's how I'm trying to be. To **Jai, Cindy, Jen **and** Janet** especially—because they've been wanting me to talk about it, but instead, I avoided them and it wasn't very nice. D: Sorry.

-;-

-;-

"He carries a _handkerchief _in his pocket everyday!" Sumire repeated once more, practically flailing, as if Mikan hadn't heard the first time. "I'm sorry, but handkerchiefs are _not _hot. They remind me of old men who have stuffy noses, you know? So really, Mikan? Really? Handkerchiefs?"

Mikan tried to keep the offense out of her voice but this was her _man _Sumire was smack talking. There would be repercussions. She frowned, replying, "Even if he _did _bring a handkerchief to school—_which I still do NOT believe because I haven't seen it_—you admitted last year that you thought he was really pretty too! DON'T LIE TO ME NOW, PERMY."

Mikan watched as Sumire merely blew dust out of her cuticles and raised an eyebrow at her outburst. "Whoa there, Pigtails. Nobody said he _wasn't _pretty. God, even _Koko _admitted Natsume was hot but he's such a—how do I word this nicely—a moody, antisocial, pain in the ass?"

_True. _But that was _not _the point. Natsume was merely misunderstood! She could swear on her life that, when given the opportunity, Natsume Hyuuga would rise to the occasion and show himself to be the caring, friendly and heartwarming person she knew him to be.

Only, to be honest, she didn't.

It's not like she didn't want to go up to him and become friends but… he was just so intimidating and God, it would be so much better if he weren't so pretty.

Sumire was smirking, as if knowing the thoughts going through her head. Without knowing what else to do, Mikan glared at her and looked down at the small boy in her arms. "Youichi, you don't like Permy, do you? You think she's an ugly hag, don't you? You think she's a _mean, blind beast_, don't you?"

"Stop that," Sumire grumbled, looking at the wide-eyed boy at the age of four. "When he's twelve and can speak, the only thing he's going to call me is Ugly and Hag."

"That's kind of the point," Mikan snorted, bumping the little boy on her leg and laughing as his grey hair flopped continuously into his eyes.

"…Shouldn't you be exercising the kid or something? I remember you saying your neighbors wanted you to bring him to the park to play, not to learn how to be a jealous girl."

"I am _not _a jealous girl!"

"Could've fooled me," Sumire sniffed. "You are a horrible babysitter though. I mean, after pretty much destroying their oven trying to bake cookies and half-drowning that kid in the pool, it's a surprise they trusted you to bring him to the park." Her eyes gleamed manically, "You know what? His parents probably don't want him because God knows, by giving the kid to you and sending you guys to the park, you'll probably lose him and really, that's what they _want_. Oohh. Conspiracy."

Mikan rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous. I am an _amazing _babysitter. Youichi likes me," she declared, shaking the kid by the shoulders and smiling widely. "Don't you, Youichi?"

He merely looked back at her with large teal eyes and that same, neutral expression on his face. Mikan tried not to look put out. For the fourteen months she'd been babysitting Youichi Hijiri, the boy had never said a word to her, and at the age of four, he was definitely fully capable. She tried again, "Did you want Mikan-senpai to push you on the swings?"

The boy merely sat on her lap, looking out to the playground as if he hadn't even heard her.

"You know, I'm starting to think the kid doesn't like you," Sumire noted offhandedly, grinning snidely from the other side of the picnic table. "And I really don't think the swings are a good idea. I can just _picture _you pushing him off the thing."

"I am a _responsible _babysitter, thank you very much!" Mikan stuck out her tongue. She peered down at the little boy and smiled once again. "Let's play on the playground and leave the beast by herself!"

And humming, she picked up the boy and dumped him into the sandbox.

Youichi didn't move. Instead he sat where he was placed and watched as she smiled at him encouragingly. "Here's the shovel and there's the sand. Go!"

He looked at her, then blinked.

Mikan bit her lip. "How about… the seesaw!" Her expression fell when she looked back at the boy and noted his size once again. "No… you're a little too small for that. Tell me what you want to do, You-chan. I'm up for anything!"

Mikan knew this was the wrong thing to say when he looked at her with gleaming, teal eyes and his little lips parted to say, in the most adorable voice she'd ever heard, "Hide and seek."

_Damn. _

She'd always sucked at this game. "So I'm hiding and you're seeking?" Any hopes in getting him to say something else were in vain. He just looked back at her with that neutral expression still on his face. Mikan sighed, "You… want me to seek, don't you?"

At this, Youichi got to his feet and pinned her down with an almost frightening gaze. "Don't you _dare _cheat. Count to one hundred."

And with that, his pudgy little legs had carried him away.

Mikan swallowed, already feeling the sweat collecting at her brow. "Hey Permy, did you want to—"

"You're on your own sucker!"

She scowled and stuck her tongue out before beginning to count to a hundred with her hands over her eyes, facing the nearest tree to the sandbox. She hoped beyond hope that the kid hadn't gone too far. His parents would _kill _her.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

The playground consisted of three sets of swings in series, a jungle gym, four slides, two rings, one tire swing, a tetherball pole, a sandbox and gravel. And lots and lots of trees. This really shouldn't be too hard. There weren't many places for a kid to hide.

…and yet almost half an hour had passed and she _still _hadn't found him.

"Youichi, you win!" Mikan wailed from the middle of the playground. Her new blue jeans were dirty at the knees and she was pretty sure she probably had leaves and rocks in her hair because those snot-nosed kids by the sandbox kept throwing pebbles at her while she looked and oh God, she thought she wanted kids in the future but if this was the kind of thing that happened, she did _not _want in.

"Youichi, I will give you _five whole dollars _if you come out of hiding!" She waited, ignoring Sumire's snickering from the background, but heard nothing. Now she was _really _getting worried. "You-chan? At least say "Aye!" if you're _in _the park because if not, I am calling the _cops _on your ass and your parents will _kill _not only me, but you! Do you _want _that two hour lecture about safety again?"

Because she sure as hell didn't.

When there was no reply, Mikan's heart fell to her feet and she whirled around to face the picnic tables. "Sumire, seriously. Where did he go?"

"Do I _look _like I know? I'm not the babysitter, remember?" Sumire snorted, pointing her file in Mikan's direction. "That's _your _job."

"Don't be such an ass and help me look for him! Your birthday is coming up and you _know _I always get you the best gifts. C'mon!"

Sumire narrowed her eyes. "Low _blow, _Sakura." With a huff, Sumire tucked her file back into her jeans before getting off the picnic table. "But seriously, I have no idea. I saw him running off towards the trees but I just figured he climbed one of the damn things."

"Climbed one of the—you're a genius!"

Almost immediately after running into the foliage once more, Mikan glimpsed someone sitting on one of the low branches of the tree and quickly ran underneath. Usually, Mikan would play the game right and would've climbed the tree, but the thing was _huge _and Youichi had made it pretty high up.

"Youichi, I found you! Now come back down! I won fair and square!"

He didn't move, even after she called him _nine _more times.

"That is _it._" Mikan hissed under her breath before she took a small pebble, pulled back her arm and aimed. But she'd never been much of an athlete other than long distance running and well, running had _nothing _to do with this. She missed by half a mile.

So she got a bigger rock, all the while ranting to the little boy who seemed far too intent on ignoring her.

"You are going to be in _big _trouble when I get my hands on you, you—" She almost squealed with triumph when her rather large rock smacked the little boy on the thigh. What she didn't expect was for Natsume Hyuuga to come down from the tree looking disgruntled, annoyed and incredibly sexy.

"What is _wrong _with you," he grated roughly, his voice a smooth timbre that made her bones turn into marshmallows.

Mikan swallowed thickly. "Uh… hi!"

_Stupid!_

_

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_

_Thanks for reading. :)  
MHR _


	21. Fade to Black

**Title: **Fade to Black [part two of _Run Don't Walk_]  
**Prompt:** #6 – smoke  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Dedication:** You reviewers, because you guys are great. :) I like Dark!Natsume too. :) SeraphMia, this is a taste of your sadistic Persona. ;)  
**Genre: **Drama

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-;-

She'd been sitting with a blindfold over her eyes and her hands tied behind her back for what seemed like two hours but nothing had really happened. The boy with the red eyes had all but handed her to a couple of suspicious looking men, smirked that vicious, blood-curdling smirk of his and left, waving a hand jovially behind him.

The next thing she knew, her hands were stretched behind her back painfully, wrists slapped together and she was snared and thrown into a chair. Her feet were locked to the legs of the chair with something metal. She thought they might be handcuffs.

Mikan didn't know where she was, but it was warm, unseasonably warm and there was the constant opening and closing of doors that made a chill run down her spine. There was the crackling of a fire in the room and the faint smell of smoke. What scared her the most was the small whispers within the room. It was like she was on display and they were all coming to watch her in silence. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that she probably couldn't escape with these people in the room or the fact that, hello! There were people in the room!

She had to restrain herself from whistling to fill the silence. She didn't have to try hard, though, since there was some kind of sweet smelling cloth in her mouth.

The door opened once more. There was a click and the cold brush of air against her ankles before another click and more silence. Until she heard the footsteps. Mikan cursed the small, muffled whimper that left her lips when a slow, lecherous voice by her ear said, "I tot I saw a pretty girl. I did, I _did_ see a pretty girl…"

There was a round of heated chuckles that made her spine stiffen even further.

"Oh, _relax, _we're not going to hurt you."

There was a chuckle before a foreign voice, velvety smooth, cut in. "Yet."

The first voice agreed before hands were touching the back of her head and the blindfold was taken off. Mikan blinked a few times to adjust to the dim lighting and to bat away the wafting cigarette smoke around the room, before she tried to struggle against the binding ropes around her wrists, her heart rising steadily to her throat.

There were so many of them.

"Black Cat, get the gag out of her mouth." Mikan barely registered what was happening, but a second later, the cloth was out of her mouth and the sharp voice returned, asking, "What's your name?"

She didn't know where the voice came from, because the room seemed to make it echo and ricochet off all four walls. To be honest, she didn't know what scared her more, the fact that she could count more than twelve men in the room or the fact that all of them didn't _look _like criminals at all. They were all dressed in suits of black, most of which were matched with crisp white button-ups and clean-shaven faces.

They were all wearing masks.

_She was _so _screwed._

A hand gripped her chin tightly and she looked frantically at a man with black narrowed eyes and what looked to be black lipstick. His hair was a mess of spiky black hair and his mask was pure white, so contrasting against all of the black he was wearing.

She didn't make a sound.

The grip on her jaw tightened and she recognized his voice to be the first. "A stubborn one, are you?" His laugh was cold. He tilted her chin up roughly and looked over her face. "I think I'll call you Brown Eyes."

He let go of her and lowered himself smoothly into the middlemost chair in front of her. "Brown Eyes, who are you working for?" If spoken by another person, the question would've sounded like a pleasant, everyday conversation. From him, everything just made her skin crawl. His voice was cold and firm.

She remained quiet, only jumping slightly when she heard the red eyed boy's voice from behind her. "I told you she was stubborn. You're going to have to use harsher methods than just _asking_, Persona."

Her eyes widened almost comically at the man sitting in the middle. His lips tugged into a cruel smirk. "You'll be wise to learn you should keep your mouth _shut, _Black Cat. Your insolence is grating on my nerves." He turned back to her and raised a hand, beckoning to somebody from the side. "Brown Eyes, it would do you well to cooperate. I like people who cooperate. Cooperation pleases me. You will like it when I am pleased. You will not," he snapped his fingers impatiently, "—however, like it when I am angry."

A little boy with gray hair and big green eyes looked at her frantically while he was pushed roughly in front of Persona.

He whimpered.

He looked to be three or four years old.

"Come here, boy."

The little boy shook his head quickly and tried to look for an escape, met her eyes and tried to run to her. Mikan's heart caught in her throat at the desperation in the boy's eyes. There were chuckles of amusement before the boy was dragged back by the back of his collar and thrown onto his knees in front of him.

Persona tutted and shook his head, telling him to stand up. The boy quivered to his feet. "P-Please…"

Persona's heartless black eyes caught her attention and his cruel smirk merely widened. He took off the thick black gloves he was wearing with meticulous attention. "See, Brown Eyes? This is what happens when I've been disobeyed. This is what happens when I'm _angry._"

And then he reached out, grabbed the little boy's wrist and pushed him to her feet.

Mikan's screams were nothing compared to the little boy's. _His skin…_it was turning _black_.

He looked nothing short of possessed as he crawled slowly towards her. The look in his eyes pleading for her to just end it, whatever it was that was happening to him. She didn't know whether it terrified her more, that this little boy was crawling towards her as his skin was turning black, or the fact that she was pretty sure he was dying.

"Stop it," she yelled hysterically. "Stop doing that to him! Make it stop and I'll tell you what you want to know!"

There was a bark of cold, bitter laughter from behind her before she recognized Red Eyes' voice. "You can't undo _anything _that Persona does. This," he said, gesturing to the boy, "—is a warning. That's what's going to happen to you if you don't tell him what he wants. As for the kid," his voice was hard with venom, "—it's too late for him. Nobody can help him, and you'll live for the next hour or so knowing that you're the one who killed him."

She quivered under the little boy's cooling touch and closed her eyes, not wanting to see his eyes when he… when he… she couldn't bear to think about it. A moment passed before she felt a warm touch on her back and the awed whisper of "You…_impossible_" before whispers spread across the room.

Mikan only opened her eyes when she felt something clutching onto one of her tied legs and the familiar whimper of the little boy.

"What are you!"

She jerked in her seat when Persona stalked towards her with a manic gleam to his eyes. "What the hell are you, girl!?" He hissed, grabbing the sides of her face and pressing his hands into them like he was trying to crush in her cheekbones. Her heart was pounding frantically within her chest and it took everything not to just bite her tongue off and bleed to her death. This… this was way too much!

"Stop touching me!" she screamed, voice muffled. She struggled in her bonds and tried to free her face from Persona's grasp. "Let go of me!"

He let go of her so abruptly, Mikan tipped on the two back legs of her chair and felt her stomach fly somewhere down to her feet when she felt herself falling. A pair of clumsy hands grappled past her shoulder blades to the chair's back.

"Who saw that!?" Persona's voice boomed throughout the room. "Who witnessed that?!"

Nobody said a word for several moments, fearing the hysteria within his voice, before the person behind her shifted and Red Eyes' voice murmured, "I saw it. Nothing happened to her and Youichi, he…"

"Shut _up_," Persona whirled to him, eyes flashing. "Did it look like I was talking to you?" His eyes looked murderous when he turned back to her and smirked. "So you think you're special, do you? You think that managing to cure him makes you invincible. You think being immune to my touch makes you special. Well," he walked smoothly toward her, dissolving the ropes around her wrist with a quick touch. He pulled away and grabbed Red Eyes by the forearm, "—let's see you cure _this_."

Mikan didn't know what to do with her hands. She didn't _want _to save him, even when she could see the black crawling into his fingers and up to his shoulders. Red Eyes wasn't screaming like Youichi had, but his jaw was clenched so tight, she knew he wasn't immune to the pain.

He was the bad guy. She refused to save him!

"Onee-chan," the vibrant voice by her leg wailed, tightening his grip on her pants, "—save Natsume-nii! Save him!"

The look in his eyes told her _no, don't do it, I want this, _which was probably why she closed her eyes, grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her.

* * *

_THE END. You guys can let your imaginations run wild with how you want this to end. ;)_


	22. Cool, Thy Name is Natsume

**Title: **Cool, Thy Name is Natsume [part two of _Smooth, Thy Name is Mikan_]  
**Prompt:** #20 – storm  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Dedication: **Midnight Taiyou, because we don't talk for a while and then we'll catch each other on MSN and it's like we can pick up where we left off like that (_snaps). _You're great.

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-;-

Mikan was never much of a smooth talker, but she liked to think she learned from past mistakes. Only she hadn't really taken into account the fact that whenever Natsume was around, she just could _not _stop making stupid comments.

"You climb trees."

She could feel herself redden when Natsume merely blinked at her. "What's your point?"

"That's um… well, that's kinda cool. Trees are nice. Then again, handkerchiefs are pretty sweet too. Permy doesn't really like them because she says they aren't hot, but I think they're pretty hot, especially if you're carrying one. You carry one, right? I hear you carry a handkerchief in your pocket everyday? That you like cucumbers? Oh my God, please stop me."

He was looking at her coolly with his lips barely curved upwards into a cruel smirk, obviously enjoying how flustered she'd just become. "Sakura, right?"

Not trusting herself, Mikan nodded quickly. "Mikan," she ended up blurting out. She tried to refrain from slapping her forehead in frustration. His smirk merely widened and for some reason, she noticed the first two buttons of his shirt were undone.

_Mhhm._

He was saying something and she quickly snapped out of it to listen to him. One of his hands was tucked into his pocket and he was shifting his weight onto his other foot like he was nervous. "Hey listen, there's this movie playing tomorrow and—"

Natsume stopped abruptly and it took Mikan a second to realize she was holding her breath because his sentence sounded like he was going to ask her out but something was stopping him and that stupid something that was stopping him was her cell phone blaring out _You Make My Dreams _by _Hall and Oates_ and oh God_. _Her cell phone was ringing. _HER CELL PHONE WAS RINGING AND NATSUME WAS TOTALLY GOING TO ASK HER OUT AND SHE WAS GOING TO KILL THE PERSON WHO WAS CALLING HER!_

She ignored it.

He looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to get that?"

She swallowed. "Get what?" Ten more seconds passed before she sighed, sent him a (longing,) apologetic look and proceeded to walk five meters away to hiss into her phone. "Yes?"

"_I SEE YOU TALKING TO NATSUME WHEN YOU'VE LOST YOUR CHARGE, YOU HAGBAG."_

_Oh…_ she'd forgotten about Youichi. Oh _shoot_, she'd forgotten about Youichi!

"Go find him!"

"_Why do I have to go find him when you're his damn babysitter!?"_

"Because," Mikan hissed, glancing to see if Natsume was still where she'd left him. He was. He was sitting down with his back leaning against the tree he'd climbed with his black hair in a sexy mess and his dreamy eyes looking at her. She looked away quickly, "Because Natsume and I were in the midst of having an incredible conversation and you are interrupting and I will never forgive you if you take this chance away from me!"

There was a pause on the other end before Sumire all but snapped, "_So you're willing to let Youichi fend for himself—and let me remind you, he's what? Three?—BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING TO SOME GUY YOU LIKE?!"_

"… You're saying that as if you wouldn't do the same."

"…_THAT IS SO NOT THE POINT. You're usually the one that has a conscience!"_

This was true.

Mikan grumbled a dirty word under her breath, "Okay, fine. I'll…go find Youichi. BUT I'M GOING TO KILL HIM ANYWAY FOR RUNNING AWAY."

Sighing, Mikan turned back to Natsume and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, I've got to go. I um… kinda lost something that I have to find."

She wanted to turn away and immediately go look for Youichi (well, no, not really) but he immediately held her gaze. He got to his feet, "I'll help you."

"You'll _help _me?"

He looked at her and shrugged, "What did you lose?"

In her haste to answer so that Natsume wouldn't change his mind, Mikan blurted out, "A four year old boy."

There was a pause, then, "You lost a four year old boy."

Mikan didn't know whether the edge of disbelief in his voice made her embarrassed or defensive. It's not like she _lost _him, per se. "Well technically, he ran away from me. There's a big difference."

"You lost him."

She glared at his pretty face and huffed. "I didn't do it on purpose! We were playing Hide and Seek and he was _supposed _to stay within the park but he just… he ran off and I didn't really think he was gone until I told him I'd pay him five dollars to come back out and he wouldn't!" Mikan turned away, embarrassed, when her voice had reached a peak of hysteria. She started walking, "You don't have to help. I'll see you at school or something."

Her heart pattered against her ribs for a bit when she heard his footsteps crunching behind her and felt his sweater brush against her arm. "I can't believe you lost a kid."

"Are you trying to annoy me or help me? Because it seems like you're just going to rub this in my face for the rest of our lives."

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes when he didn't answer and watched as his lithe body moved confidently at her side. She couldn't believe Natsume Hyuuga was walking beside her. She couldn't believe Natsume Hyuuga would _willingly _help her look for her lost sittee and well, she'd always known he was a nice guy! She couldn't wait to tell Permy and Anna about this!

"A storm's coming," Natsume said quietly, glancing up at the clouds that were slowly moving over them. They were dark gray and the sky another murky shade of blue. She cursed under her breath and turned toward him. "Okay, we really have to find Youichi before the storm hits because that would be really, _really _bad if he was caught in the rain. His parents are going to _kill _me, I swear."

"Youichi?" It probably sounded familiar to him. Mikan cringed. Thinking back, she _did _call him by that name about ten times. "You thought I was a four year old kid?" Natsume sounded incredulous, but more offended. "That's the most insulting thing I've ever been called in my life."

She waved him off. "This isn't about you, Natsume. You know you're one of the best looking guys in school, anyway—oh _shoot._"

She felt a drop of rain on her head and immediately started to panic. Turning to Natsume, she grabbed his wrist and looked at him earnestly. "We have to run." She pulled on his arm before he could make a comment and before long, their clothes were damp with rain and hair was misted and plastered onto their heads and foreheads.

They ducked under one of the gazebos in the park and Mikan laughed at his disheveled appearance. "Nice, Natsume," she flicked his hair back from his face. She sighed roughly, "Okay, give me a second. I'll check You-chan's house to see if he's there and if he's not," she swallowed, "—then I'm just going to have to tell his parents I lost their kid." She groaned.

She called Sumire first. "Hey, Perms? Any luck?"

"_Oh, you wanted me to look for him? I thought, once you ditched me with your lover boy, I was free to go!"_

She looked incredulously at the phone before sighing. She really shouldn't be so surprised. "Okay, no it's fine. I'm going to call the Hijiri's to see if they have him."

"_And if they don't, Hagbag? What are you going to do?"_

"I don't even want to think about it," Mikan sighed, "Okay, I'm hanging up. I'll call you later." Before she could even finish punching in the numbers to Youichi's home, her phone rang. It was the Hijiris. "Um… hello?"

"_Mikan, where are you? Youichi said he had lots of fun playing with you today in the park and that he wants to go do it again next week! Did you have to leave early, dear? You forgot to stay to pick up your pay for today."_

Mikan was astonished. "_Excuse_ _me_, Mrs. Hijiri, but did you just say Youichi had fun _playing _with me today? Where is he now?"

"_Oh, he's in the living area watching TV with Hotaru. And of course, honey. Youichi _loves _that you're his babysitter. He says there's always a new adventure whenever you're around and you're his longest babysitter yet! Well, honey, I've got to go tend to dinner. We'll pay you double when you come down next week then, okay? Thanks again, sweetie."_

Mikan flipped her phone shut with disbelief. He was _home _the whole flippin' time? Oh, that boy was _definitely _going to get it!

"Since you're face is turning red, I guess he's been found," Natsume murmured, sitting onto the bench under the gazebo and shaking his head to get rid of excess water. "Where was he?"

Mikan groaned. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say, we were running around this place for the last two hours, like a chicken with its head cut off, for no apparent reason." She sighed and turned toward him, running a hand through her hair to push the wet tendrils away from her face. "I'm really sorry about this. You're all wet."

"You're one to talk," he snorted, fishing for something in his pocket. "Here."

_Oh my gosh. _

The infamous handkerchief.

It was dark blue and soft to the touch and Mikan tried not to laugh at his initials etched perfectly in the corner in black thread. "I can't believe it. Permy was right. You _do _carry a handkerchief with you. That's so weird!" She laughed, grinning at the disgruntled look on his face, "Very sexy, Natsume."

He scowled at her. "You said you thought they were cool two hours ago."

"Obviously I was just saying that because I was nervous, duh," Mikan rolled her eyes, flipping the handkerchief over in her hands and handing it back to him.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You're soaking wet," he pointed out needlessly. "I didn't give you that so that you could look at it and laugh at me."

"Oh. Oh!" She blushed to her roots, gripping tightly onto the handkerchief. She didn't really know how to go about using it. He was looking at her expectantly too! What the heck!

He tsked and took it from her, mopping the rain from her forehead and cheeks. "You're so useless," he muttered idly, dropping it into her lap when he was done. "You lose a kid, get us all wet and you can't even take care of yourself."

"Then why don't you take care of me?"

His head snapped up and she was too appalled at herself to be mortified. But just when Mikan was ready to bolt, he smirked, shook his head and remarked, "The storm's over." He grabbed her hand, this time, and pulled her to her feet. "I'll walk you home."

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_THE END. :) Sumire is love.  
And just saying, I don't have anything else started for the next 23 drabbles/oneshots, so yeah. It might take a week or two for another update.  
D: GIVE ME IDEAS, people!_


	23. Words Escape Me

**Title: **Words Escape Me  
**Prompt:** #26 – flower  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Dedication: **Wow, I actually have lots of people I want to be dedicating these oneshot-drabbles too who have been reviewing so diligently, so as of now, I'll try to dedicate a chapter to each of you elaborate reviewers. :) This one's for **Stardrop55 **for humor, critique, careful reading and overall awesomeness in her review. :) Thank you for the continuous reviews, guys!

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Natsume knew something was amiss the moment he walked into the cafeteria and saw the usual gang at their usual table.

Except her.

She was missing.

Again.

He sighed a long suffering sigh borne of patience before he strode purposefully into the room, promptly ignoring the looks immediately drawn to his person. He caught Imai's eye before he even reached the table and she nodded to him sullenly before returning her gaze back to the open textbook on the table.

Natsume barely nodded back in acknowledgement.

"Hey Natsume!" Koko chirped loudly, waving a fry in the air with a grin. "Nice to see you back! I'm surprised you're not going after Mikan—"

"Where is she?" he interrupted smoothly, eyeing the group.

Some murmured but Ruka spoke up quickly, "Do you even have to ask, Natsume?"

With a wry grin, Natsume shook his head and headed out of the room knowing exactly where she would be. She really was a little too predictable, he thought. He shouldn't have been surprised though. The naive girl was always predictable.

Once he'd reached the top of the stairs, Natsume pulled the latch of the door and stepped onto the roof, already smelling the telltale odor of paint.

She was painting.

Only she wasn't.

She was sitting with her paints in a circle around her, her brushes either dipped in a murky cup of water or lying by her side, dry and unused, and a canvas set up beside her, untouched. The sky was gray and she was just staring, staring past the low wired fence surrounding the roof into the afternoon sky, but she was looking without really looking.

Natsume stepped forward and even though he was sure she could hear his footsteps on the rooftop, she didn't tense and showed no signs of acknowledging his presence.

He frowned, not at all liking what had become of her.

"Mikan."

After a moment of still silence, she hummed low in her throat. It was a delightful sound of just the right pitch and warm enough to make a shiver run down his spine and Natsume took another step forward until he was a mere four steps behind her. "What are you doing?"

She blinked twice but didn't bother to look at him. "I'm painting, Natsume."

He knew she couldn't see him roll her eyes, so he scoffed. He looked at her blank canvas. "How very productive of you."

"FYI, smartass, I'm painting in my mind. Don't judge." Though her words were very much playful, Natsume immediately detected the sorrowful undertone.

He frowned even more before sighing and sitting down beside her brushes. "You know I can tell when you're lying or not." His voice was light. "You okay?"

"Natsume, stop asking me questions and I won't tell you lies."

"You're being ridiculous, Polka Dots. Stop that, it's not you."

"Oh yeah?" her voice was rising angrily, "—well if you know me so well, why do you even have to ask me questions? If you know me so well, why don't _you_ tell me how I'm feeling?"

He waited for her to catch her breath. "You know I'm going to miss you too, right?"

At this, she stiffened and after a moment, she let out a low, shuddering breath. Her spine was straight and her shoulders were tense and Natsume just wished she wasn't like this. It wasn't like her at all. She was carefree and happy, sunshine and flowers. He spied her knuckles, white with the effort of clenching her paintbrush in an iron clad grip.

Ignoring the tiny voice in his head saying, _you don't do this_, Natsume reached over quietly and brushed her knuckles with his fingers. There was a slight intake of breath before she looked to him for the first time, large brown eyes dark and so full of sorrow that it made his heart ache sharply.

She reached up, took his hand and pressed them both to her cheek, shaking her head. "I wish you didn't have to go, Natsume. It doesn't feel right without you."

His voice was a quiet murmur. "You don't know that. Who knows, maybe, when I leave, weeks will pass and maybe you'll forget. Weeks will pass and maybe you won't even notice. We've never been apart before, but maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe you'll be fine, like before you even met me. Who knows, maybe you'll meet another guy who'll replace me as your best friend. Maybe then, when he's there, it'll feel right again."

He didn't meet her eyes. Perhaps he didn't want to see the satisfaction on her face to his response. There was truth in it, after all. They'd never been apart for the three years they'd known each other and Mikan had a certain charm about her that simply attracted everyone from all sides of the spectrum. He wouldn't be surprised if she could still be happy after him. After all, his fear was leaving her knowing she'd get over him and knowing he could never do the same.

But then her soft voice fluttered in his ear, "That's not true, Natsume. That's not true at all. There are no maybes. I…I know it won't feel right when you leave because Natsume… even now, my heart doesn't feel right. You're right here, right beside me, and just knowing you won't be tomorrow makes me feel ill. I…" she slumped slightly. "I don't know what I'm saying."

"You'll still have Imai," Natsume murmured tightly, finding her innocence heartbreaking.

"Yes, I have Hotaru," she nodded slightly with a frown. She turned brown eyes to him, curious and mournful and beautiful, as always. "I don't know what this feeling is, but Natsume, my heart aches at the thought of you leaving. Is that strange, you think? When Hotaru left for a year for that Invention school, it wasn't as bad as _this_."

_I love you too_, he thought.

She tilted her head to the side, lips set in a sad smile. "Natsume?"

Words escaped him, his throat was tight. He merely shook his head, tucked her head under his chin and wished things could have ended differently.

* * *

_:)!_


	24. Please, Don't Close Your Eyes

**Title: **Please, Don't Close Your Eyes  
**Prompt:** #48 – mask  
**Pairing: **Persona x Nobara  
**Dedication: **This one is for **SeraphMia**, because she really wanted a PersonaNobara fic, she prompted me with _PersonaPOV, Romance/Angst, blood and Nobara's alter ego._ I should really put your prompts up there with **mask** but since this whole oneshot collection is due to my friend's prompts, I still have to include one of hers in here too. Hope you don't mind. Oh, and uh, I remember you saying you like death. :) Enjoy.

**-;-**

**-;-**

She stumbles against the wall, her eyes half-lidded and her lips slightly parted, and Persona is reminded of just how awkward she is.

His feet are rooted to the ground and Persona cannot do much for her. But he watches, always watches. It is not only Nobara, but everybody who walks by under their transparent veils of innocence and their guises of hope and faith. This innocence and this faith have always eluded and intrigued him.

So Persona never closes his eyes.

Deep down, he sees an unattainable dream where laughter isn't condemned and innocent touches are welcome. When he watches from afar or when he carefully brushes the curtain away from the window, Persona doesn't close his eyes in fear that this dream—so corporeal and phenomenal and infinitesimally close to his fingertips–will disappear.

He knows nobody believes he is a dreamer and his pride and his obstinacy will not allow him to prove them otherwise. Instead, he looks off in the comforts of the shadows that have always been willing to accept him. Instead, he watches, with what others immediately take to be a horrid, otherworldly expression on his face.

They just do not understand.

Nobara groans as she slides weakly to her knees. Her thighs are pressed together and both palms rest serenely on top. With her head bent just so, Persona almost believes she's praying. He is even inclined to believe, so vainly, that she's smiling that awkward smile of hers, and believes that, in a second, she will lift her head up just the slightest until she's peering coyly up at him from beneath her impossibly long lashes.

Something within him flinches in pain.

_Pain._

Persona knows pain in more ways than most people do. He mocks the nosy brats who complain about Math being the death of them and groaning dramatically about school when in actuality, they know nothing about the meaning of pain.

He has bruised, has been cut and has bled. He has sprained, has been tortured and has shed. Persona has howled in pain, has broken bones in his body and has experienced the feeling of being burnt from the inside out by his own Alice.

But pain is more than just physical tears at the body. Persona has felt the pain of abandonment and the pain of isolation. He lives with self-loathing and breathes in the disgust and at times, Persona believes that non-existent organ within his chest cannot bear the burden of a thousand different sins.

Pain is in the mind.

Persona knows pain in every sense.

But there is no affliction greater than what he sees in front of him; the person he loves suffering.

Her once wild curls are flattened to her forehead with perspiration and her body shakes with slight tremors. Persona doesn't close his eyes. Perhaps he is a masochist, taking pleasure in all of this misery, but he watches her with silent black eyes, much like he has always watched her.

Her ragged breaths are a heavy blanket around them and Persona stiffens when she finally lifts her head to pierce him with lonely, grey eyes, so heartbreakingly desolate in nature.

Nobara knows suffering, he knows. She knows it almost as well as he does, what with the nature of her parent's death and her fruitless affections toward the peers that seem to detest her. It seems almost inhuman that he basks in this fact, that nobody accepts her into their circles. Everybody except for him and some Dangerous Abilities who are outcasts themselves.

Perhaps he would find himself hating her, if she could be accepted with her destructive Alice so similar to his and her dangerously alluring alter ego running rampant on missions. Perhaps he enjoys her company and affection more than he let on. Perhaps…

_…perhaps he wants her all for himself._

He has always been rather fond of her Ice Princess character, taking great satisfaction in knowing, with just a few choice words, that sweet and innocent Nobara can turn into a confident, cold-blooded predator. It is moments like those when his awkward, stuttering Nobara is mostly mute and efficient.

But he still likes sweet Nobara for being just herself. She is clumsy and shy, sweet and loyal, naïve and trusting. Nobara is very much like a flower, willing to open up at just the faintest inkling of sunlight. And faintly, faintly, Persona wonders if he is her sunlight. He believes, rather, that she is more of his.

Persona has never seen anything like her.

The tingling spreads throughout his body, but he continues to watch her. She has this sad smile on her face and tears tracing paths down her cheeks and he thinks she's quite beautiful. Now if only her skin would turn back to that porcelain peach it had been previously. Perhaps then, everything could be the same.

But her skin is turning black and she keeps whispering those two words she's been saying ever since they met. He remembers the first time she touched him, she was wearing a large winter coat with a scarf secured around her neck and a doll clutched into the crook of her arm. And after touching his hand and alighting a fire behind his eyes, she whispered, "Please believe."

She whispers them again like a broken record with soft gasps and barely apparent sobs in between, and Persona watches her impassively, wondering how he could make her angel-skin the color of charcoal and how her white socks and sleeves stain so easily with blood.

One of her soft hands lift, shaking, toward him and his chest tingles. As an afterthought, he bends down. He believes he does it so that she does not have to waste her last efforts to touch him, so innocently like all those years ago, but another part tells him it is because his legs cannot last much longer either.

Her hand is cold, it always is, but this time, unnaturally so. He closes his eyes for but a second, just a second, and she says, "Please believe," along with those words that had filled his blackened heart so painfully not so long ago. _I won't die and leave you. I won't let you be alone. I will always be by your side despite all your sins—_

"Please believe."

_That I would never hurt you—_

_That I would never leave you—_

_That I would never stop loving you, even after this—_

_That I did this for _you—

And he replies, two words, as the blood flows from his chest into a pool around their knees, the only way he ever has. "I'm sorry."

He closes his eyes.

And Persona wishes someone would take them to a place where dreams and reality coexist.

* * *

Y'all should check out _sensor_'s PersonaNobara oneshot. It's in my favorites. It was amazing. Just sayin'. :) The crazy month has just started and I have a speech competition tomorrow so I'm just going to start preparing for that now. Goodbye. Until the end of the month, or when inspiration rapes my mind.

_MHR_


	25. Confessions on a Desk

**Title: **Confessions on a Desk  
**Prompt:** #30 – reading  
**Pairing: **Misaki x Tsubasa  
**Genres: **Romance/Humor  
**Dedication: **Wow, it's been a while since I updated this. Anyway, this was a request from **Innocent's Sorrow** who wanted Romance/Humor and a prompt of _rainbows. _I skimped out on the prompt, I have to say, but it's in there! I wrote a different MisakiTsubasa for you, but couldn't find a way to make your prompt work so this one's for you. :)

-;-

-;-

If there is one class Misaki finds herself never paying attention in, it is Math with Jinno-sensei. Not only does he drone on and on in that terribly monotonous voice of his, but she just can't seem to _care _much about mathematics (she has absolutely no talent with numbers and Jinno always seems to like to embarrass her and Megane in class. The bastard).

So when she walks to her Desk early for once, Misaki is surprised to see the messy scrawl on it that reads:

_Sunshine, put a smile on your face._

Despite telling herself to act _cool _about it, Misaki's head snaps up and she looks around the room where her classmates are milling about aimlessly and talking with each other, their Alices drifting moodily after. One quick look tells her it's impossible to tell who's written this… this _thing _on her Desk. Nobody is watching for her reactions and Misaki finds herself painfully intrigued.

Carefully lowering herself in her chair, Misaki sneaks a quiet glance around the room once again and traces the seven words with her eyes. What the hell _is_ this, anyway? And who in their right mind uses _sunshine _as a pet name?

Normally she would have ignored the message. It is pointless and a good waste of her time. But when class starts and when moments seem to pass particularly slowly, Misaki finds her gaze drifting back to that ridiculous statement written in large black felt. The writing is sloppy and awkward and the seven words just… _stare _at her.

Before she can convince herself not to, Misaki uncaps one of the markers in her bag and writes:

**Who are you talking to?**

When the bell rings to signal the end of class, Misaki grabs her books and pens and saunters out of the room, feeling half-preposterous and half-intrigued.

She promptly forgets all about The Desk and the writer until she has her afternoon math class the day after. Out of breath from racing to class (because God knows she wants to avoid detention with Jinno at all costs), the first thing she sees when she drops her books on her Desk is the messy writing on the surface once more. It is thin and in black and the spelling is questionable, but the message still makes her raise her eyebrow and snort.

_For someone mildly pretty, you're kinda clueless.  
I'm talking to you, aren't I?_

Misaki wonders if she's supposed to feel impressed or not.

**If you're trying to flatter me, buster, you're doing a poor job of it.  
Who are you?  
You've given me the impression you know who **_**I **_**am—**

Whatever Misaki wants to write down is cut off when Jinno all but roars, "Harada, what is the general solution when cos4x=0.20 and x=…"

Misaki blinks at him. "I have no idea what language you're speaking."

Jinno's lips twist into a sneer. "I think, Harada, that you've been a three star long enough. Come here." Misaki, begrudgingly, with a scowl on her face and an obnoxious drag to her step, walks up to the front of the class. Jinno holds up one hand and she rolls her eyes and rips one of the stars off her collar and shoves it into his palm.

Half of the class gives Jinno the stink eye and Misaki, seeing this, smirks slightly on her way back to her Desk.

—**so I think it's only fair if I know who you are.  
And for your information, you sneaky bastard, I just lost one of my stars because of you.**

In all honesty, she would probably lose it anyway, with or without the writing on The Desk but her pen pal doesn't need to know that.

When class ends, Tsubasa meets her at the door and raises an eyebrow at the dark look on her face. He has Science when she has Math and doesn't know what the heck just went down. She punches him in the arm, _hard, _anyway, when he says, "What's with the ugly face?"

"I lost a star to Jin-Jin when I smart-mouthed today," her voice sounds surly, even to her. "You'd better get that smug smirk off your face before I punch you again."

The weekend passes and she spends it with Tsubasa and the Special Ability class. It's strange. Whenever somebody passes her in the hallway or says hi to her, she can't help but think it's the writer from The Desk.

When arrogant Miyazawa Kousuke holds open the door for her or when _Megane _offers to buy her lunch at Central Town, Misaki wonders if they are Desk Guy and truthfully, _how is she supposed to know_?

She doesn't mention the writing on The Desk to Tsubasa for reasons she doesn't quite understand until later. He's always been strangely protective of her, like a brother is to a sister, and Misaki just… just wants to let this moment last a little longer, where her pen pal flatters her in a way she's never been used to before.

Monday arrives and Misaki is disappointed to see that all of their writing has been washed clean. It's only when she's tapping her pen against the edge of The Desk does she see black ink along the edge.

_The janitors are obviously out there to ruin my attempt to be charming.  
Fucking bastards.  
And of course I know who you are.  
I wouldn't try to flatter some girl I didn't even know, you know.  
I'm not _that _pathetic.  
Sorry to hear about your stars.  
If you want, I can be one of yours. (:_

Misaki reads the message twice before throwing up in her mouth a little bit.

**Basically, you're telling me this flirting via Desk **_**isn't **_**pathetic?  
Alright there, Casanova.  
You know you're a champ when…  
Just to set things straight, that 'star' comment?  
Never again.**

And their banter ensue for two more weeks until one day, Misaki drops her bag onto the floor, places her notebook on the surface and looks over The Desk. Her jaw promptly drops.

_Alice Festival preparations start after this weekend and  
you're not going to be in class for three more weeks.  
Care to meet me at the Somatics' production of whatever play they're  
doing this year?_

Misaki stares at the writing in thought. What on _Earth _has she been doing for the last _month? _She's been communicating with some weird guy who obviously doesn't have the courage to talk to her face-to-face and it has only taken her the question of _meeting _him to make her see sense.

But at the back of her mind, she thinks he's charming and funny and _nice _and she thinks, maybe he's just shy? And even if he _is _some weird guy who can't seem to talk to her, he's finding the courage now, right? The least she can do is reward him for the step and ease her mind in the process.

She can't believe she forgot all about the Alice Festival.

**Sure.  
You'd better not bail.**

His reply is short but she finds a smile on her face for the rest of the day.

_I wouldn't dream of it._

The Alice Festival is a whirl of activity and despite spending most of her time with the Special Ability class doing a rendition of the RPG event that had been such a success last year, Misaki thinks about The Desk.

Tsubasa teases her about having a crush and Misaki has punched him more times in the one week than she has in the past six months, but still, she smiles. Because Tsubasa's just an idiot and there's nobody that knows her better.

She doesn't know what possesses her to come back to Math class the day before their scheduled meet, but she walks slowly toward her Desk and sits down. She knows the janitor wipes down The Desk every weekend, so she doesn't expect to see the scrawl on it.

_Will you be my Last Dance?_

Despite the guilt, her answer is immediate.

**I'm sorry. I'll save you a dance, but not the last one.  
That one's always for Andou.**

She walks quickly out the door and that night, lies awake. It would be strange. The next time she would see that Desk was after the Alice Festival. Vaguely, she wonders how things will go the next day at the production of _The Taming of the Shrew._

She is a ball of nerves in her school uniform the next morning, as she walks with Mikan on the way to the play. Her kouhai is rambling about something she'd eaten at one of the concession stands that had tasted much like a rainbow or something of the kind, but Misaki is barely listening.

She's too busy looking at the person lounging against the walls of the theatre. It's the sweet elementary school kid who's friends with Mikan. Koko, she remembers. She laughs, slightly, and walks over to him with an indulgent smile on her face. She remembers the kid used to have a thing for her last year. "Shall we go in, Koko?"

He tilts his head to the side. "You're disappointed."

Mind Reader. _Shit. _

"Well," she decides to be honest, "—I was expecting somebody older, yes."

His lips stretch into a wide grin. "Will you kiss me on the cheek?"

_Cheeky little…_

"Okay, kid. Am-scray," says a familiar voice from behind her.

The kid grins and dashes away. Misaki whirls around. "_What _are you doing here? I _clearly _remember telling you to steer clear of this place today! Buzz off, Andou. That was my date, if you must know."

"I'll say it again, Harada: _For someone mildly pretty, you're kinda clueless._ Did you not question how on Earth some elementary school brat could have gotten into your _middle _school math class everyday before you? Idiot," he mutters affectionately, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"But… but you're not some geek!"

"Were you expecting one?" Tsubasa frowns. "Sorry to disappoint."

"No," she shakes her head. "It's just… what the hell? Was this some kind of joke? You're an asshole! I thought somebody actually liked me!"

"But I do like you." At the pointed look on her face, he amends, "I _like _you. Do you think I'd go through all that trouble if I didn't?"

"Then what was that crack about wanting to be my last dance? I'm always your last dance! And it's not like you couldn't have just… oh, I dunno… prevented this whole," she waves her arms around between them, "—thing! Why talk to me using some stupid Desk if you can talk to me without it?"

Tsubasa shrugs and scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "You wouldn't take it seriously if I just told you I liked you. Like now. And well, I'm glad you're still going to be my last dance."

"Oh no, buster, you are _not _going to be my last dance. I'm so pissed right now, I can't even _see_ straight! You know what? _Koko's _going to be my last dance. Take that, bitch."

He laughs indulgently when she punches him in the gut and she lets him wind their fingers together and lead her into the theatre.

-;-

"I still hate you, asshole."

"What if I got you one of those expensive subs you like at Miki's?"

"…"

"…?"

"…I'd be open to some compromise. And groveling."

"Thought so."

* * *

:)! I know, it's extreme fluff. I'm a romantic and I'm unashamed. So sue me.


	26. There Are Rainbows After This

**Title: **There Are Rainbows After This  
**Prompt:** #7 – rain  
**Pairing: **Misaki x Tsubasa x Kaname  
**Genres: **Friendship  
**Dedication: **This was the crippled drabble I talked about last oneshot. :)

-;-

-;-

_They were best friends. _

It was Saturday morning, raining like mad, and Misaki was cold.

She could have been curled up in bed with her flannel pajamas and perhaps a cup of hot cocoa, but ever since the call six hours earlier, she'd been sitting in one of the uncomfortable, disgustingly orange chairs in the waiting area of the hospital.

Kaname's heart had stopped last night.

_Again._

She didn't know how many of these close calls she could take before she went insane. As for Tsubasa, well… he wasn't doing much better. And though they didn't have to say a word to each other, the question hung in the area between them like a brick.

How long did Kaname have now?

Misaki sighed.

It was raining.

Kaname had always liked the rain, for some odd reason. She remembered, one time, when it was just the two of them—with Tsubasa playing with Mr. Bear somewhere else—Kaname told her she was just like the rain.

It had confused her at first, and then, flustered her. She'd always had a soft spot for Kaname. He was so very different from Tsubasa in the way that he was so much more gentle, compassionate and kind-hearted. His laugh was light and sweet. The way he talked was smooth and comforting, pleasant and comfortable. Kaname was everything _she _wasn't. Needless to say, she had an inkling the innocent crush she'd had on him when they were ten had turned, well, not quite as innocent at the age of fourteen.

So when he'd implied that he liked her too, even if it wasn't the way she would have wanted, Misaki was warm. He said she was like the rain because she was capable of being light, warm and soothing when she wanted, but unrelenting and vicious when the situation called for it.

He said she was refreshing.

Misaki wanted to tell him, if he thought she was his rain, he was most definitely her sun.

But he just kept on getting worse and worse and no matter how many times Misaki told him to _stopstopstop _making those stuffies, he just smiled that boyish, soothing smile of his that told her everything would be fine.

_They were supposed to get out of the Academy at seventeen and take the world by eighteen and live until they were old and gray. _

But lately, Tsubasa had grown on her. More often than not, they were together and it made her feel _guilty. _Because she was certain if Kaname wasn't stuck in the hospital, she'd still feel the same way about him. But he was and she didn't. Sometimes, when days were especially tough, Misaki would knock on Tsubasa's door and lie in bed with him. She had a feeling tonight would be one of those nights. And she wasn't the only one who needed it. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that Tsubasa had been alternating between running a hand down his face and fisting his beanie in his hands.

Looking without really looking, she could even tell he had that V between his eyebrows and a concerned frown on his lips. It was rare for anybody to really see Tsubasa in this state of despair and concern, but she'd been best friends with him for so long, it was no surprise she could pick up on the annoying little mannerisms he had.

Like the fact that he moved his jaw back and forth, rhythmically, whenever he was concentrating too hard on something, or that he tended to bounce his left leg in time with his right index finger whenever he was in the hospital. He was doing those things now and Misaki, smiling grimly, clamped a hand down on his jittery leg.

He looked up, blue eyes cleared with concealed trouble.

She pulled her hand back. "You should take a walk, Tsubasa. You're going to punch a hole into the ground with that perverted leg of yours."

He shrugged, running a hand down his face, before he turned back to face the door across the hall. "I want to see him."

Misaki nodded. "…He said he would try not to make anymore but this…this means he's continued making them."

"You know Kaname. He's more stubborn than I am, and…this is what he loves doing. We can't stop him. He's going to be making them 'til the day he—"

"Don't say it."

Tsubasa sighed. "… fine. But he makes them because he loves it. I've accepted it and him, for what he is. You should too, if you care for him."

Misaki gave him a sharp look that made him put his hands up and agree to take that walk. She watched him stroll down the hallway with his hands tucked into his pockets moodily and a slight drag to his steps. She didn't know why her heart jammed into her throat when she tore her eyes away from his disappearing figure.

They had gone through a lot, just the two of them. She remembered the years they'd spent hanging out with Kaname before he'd started getting so sick. She remembered the laughter and the pranks and the video games and the walks. Recently, however, when it was just the two of them, Misaki remembered the late night talks and the gentle thrum of his heart against her fingers when she kept her hands tightly grasping his.

The memory is almost enough to cause a fond smile to appear on her lips, but she forces it away when the doctor clears his throat.

She didn't even notice him standing there, smiling that tired, grim smile of his. It was the same one he always seemed to wear whenever Kaname had problems. It was not entirely apologetic, but more of the kind of comforting smiles that he'd gotten used to giving. "He's awake, if you'd like to see him."

Misaki nodded quickly and stepped into the room.

He was sitting, smiling that heart-meltingly sincere smile of his with blue eyes as calming as morning waters. The first thing she saw was the number of machines he was hooked up to and how shallow his breathing had gotten since the last time she'd visited.

She swallowed weakly.

"Kaname."

He waited until he'd caught her eye before smiling. "Smile, Misaki."

"It's not like I have a lot to smile about," Misaki scoffed, falling into the chair by his bed. She stroked one of the tubes that were hooked up to his arm. It was thin with a clear liquid, and her heart stuttered minutely. "How long, did he say?"

Kaname's tone was patient. "I didn't bother asking. I didn't see the point."

Didn't see the point? Didn't see the point in wondering how much time he had left to make the most of it? Didn't see the point in spending his last moments with his best friends?

"That's cold, Kaname."

She shifted, slightly, when he pinned her down with those _eyes _of his. They told her, like they always did, just what he was thinking. _Misaki, please…_

She sighed. "Okay. Sorry. I've been on edge ever since they called Tsubasa and me and…" Misaki looked at him, pale against the pillows and eyes closed. He still had that winsome smile on his face. "Kaname, tell me how you're feeling. And don't… don't gloss over the details."

His smile was indulgent. He knew better than to argue. "My body aches and I'm always tired. I sleep far too much and it hurts to move. I can't remember the taste of _anything: _Howalon, onigiri, unagi. I forget to breathe and I miss the smell of wet grass. But I'm here. That makes you happy, doesn't it?"

Misaki frowned. "I'm happy if you're happy. So it depends. Are you happy?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, closely. Then he looked out the window. "Where's Tsubasa?"

"Here," came a voice from the door. "I didn't want to interrupt."

Misaki gave him a sharp look and rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot. Get in here." She watched him as he slinked into the room and sat on the edge of Kaname's bed. He had one of his roguish smiles on his face, but she was sure Kaname knew better and Misaki sure as hell knew better than to think it was honest.

He whistled. "You look terrible, Kaname. What the hell did they _do _to you?"

"Only jumpstarted my heart," he grinned slightly. "It's good to see the both of you. You're looking well," he looked from Tsubasa, then to Misaki and back before saying pointedly, "—together."

Misaki frowned. "Huh?"

"Couldn't say the same about you, man. How many did you make to get you like this?"

"What kind of question is that, you idiot?"

Kaname only chuckled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make many after this." He lifted his arm and looked pointedly at the number of clear tubes attached to them. "How's Bear?"

"Cranky and missing you," Tsubasa playfully rolled his eyes. "As usual. Hey, are you okay? You're getting really pale."

Kaname waved his arm in the air. "No, I'm fine. It's fine. I was a little out of breath, that's all."

"Oh! We shouldn't be talking to you like this! Your heart stops a few hours earlier and Tsubasa and I are stupid enough to want a whole conversation with you. It's ridiculous," she muttered, all the while bustling off the chair and pulling up his blankets. "You rest up, ok? Don't work yourself too hard."

He laughed. "Lying in bed isn't exhausting, Misaki." He stopped her hand from smoothing out his sheets and shook his head. "I'm fine."

Misaki paused and leaned back, nodding. "Okay. You're fine. Got it."

"'Saki, you're crazy. Kaname," Tsubasa trailed off. "To be honest, we're just worried about you. This is the third time. I die a little every time they call like that."

"Funny, I thought that was just me."

Two pairs of eyes looked at him and Kaname put up his hands, laughing softly. "Okay, that wasn't funny. I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. You guys are so tense, it's unsettling. Just…" He looked from Tsubasa, then to Misaki, his smile fading, "—I don't want you guys to change. Stay the same. Please."

"Why does that sound like a fucked up goodbye?" Tsubasa turned to Misaki and frowned. "Did that sound like a fucked up goodbye to you?" Without waiting for an answer, Tsubasa whirled back to him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Other than the obvious?"

They glared.

Kaname sighed good-naturedly and settled into his pillows. "I'm going to be honest. I… really fought this time guys. You always hear them say the third time's the charm and I'm pretty sure this time would've actually done the job," Kaname said gently. "But I was selfish and I wanted to see you guys one more time. I want to do things properly and honestly. You've always been my best friends and I know you deserve at least that much."

He shrugged shyly. "So take the world. Get out of here like I know you want to and head out to do great things. Tsubasa, please don't get yourself thrown in jail. Misaki, I hope you don't have to bail him out. And the both of you, never ever change. Especially after me. I've lived the way I've wanted to and I want you guys to do the same. I'm happy with what I've been given: this Academy and you two. That's enough for me. I hope you'll believe that—Stop giving me that look, Misaki."

She threw up her hands. "What do you want me to do?" she asked softly. "You want me to be happy about this? You want me to be happy about the fact that you're saying your goodbyes at the age of fifteen when you've barely started your life? Worst of all, you sound _fine _with it! And you want me to be happy that my best friend is _dying_? Wha-what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be happy."

She looked at him pointedly. "It's not that simple."

"But it is."

"You see that?" she pointed out the window where rain was battering noisily against the windowpane. "You're asking for sunshine and flowers in hell, Kaname. It's been raining for days now and it'll be like that when you're gone."

Kaname fixed her with soft, soft blue eyes. "There are always rainbows after storms like these."

"Yeah, but—"

Kaname shook his head. "I'd hate it if we ended off with a bad note. How about we talk about something else?"

Tsubasa snorted slightly, and when they both looked at him, he put his hands up in a truce. "Sorry! What? That was a really pathetic attempt to change the topic and it made me laugh." He grinned at Kaname. "But you know, if we're going to do this, you know I really… care about you, man."

"The feeling's mutual," Kaname smiled. "Did you want to get me a drink or something, Tsubasa? I'm rather thirsty."

"Huh? Wha—oh. Ohh. _Sure, man._ I'll get you a drink. At the cafeteria across the hospital. Hah!" He slipped out the door with a grin and Kaname shook his head. He raised his eyebrow at the other person in the room and waited, expectantly, for her to speak.

"It's going to be tough without you," she said at last. "You're an important part of me. You've been my best friend with Tsubasa for years and I don't think you understand just how hard it's going to be without you. I don't… I don't think I'm going to be okay, after you. You know that right?"

Kaname only shifted against his pillows and closed his eyes. "You're the strongest girl I know. You'll be fine, 'Saki. One day, you'll be fine."

_But not everything worked out like it was supposed to._

* * *

_I know. I'm disgustingly emo. _D: But happier oneshots to come!


	27. What's Eating You?

**Title: **What's Eating You?  
**Prompt:** #28 – jeans  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Romance x Humor  
**Dedication: **To Irrevocable Truth, because I think you're funny. Thank you for the reviews. :)

-;-

-;-

The box is empty.

The _box _is empty.

The box is _empty._

Okay, calm down. That's it. Close your eyes and inhale. Inhaaaaaale. Don't forget to exhale. Whoooosh. Okay, good. Remain _calm_. It is morning. You are woman. You are _not _irrational. There is probably a reasonable explanation for this. Really. He didn't know what he was doing wrong. He's been here for four days. He has nowhere else to go. You can _understand _that. Just… try to speak to him in a reasonable, acceptable, _polite _way an—

"Do you need an inhaler?"

That. Is. IT.

A gush of air escapes from my lips and I slam the empty box on the counter. "_YOU," _I whirl around, watching as his red eyes languidly lift up to meet mine. He places his bowl on the counter and leans one of his hips against it, waiting.

Something about his stance makes me want to _rip his head off of his shoulders._

I try to speak calmly. "You _ate _all of my Howalon Puffs."

One of his eyebrow rises. "And?"

Obviously reason accomplishes nothing. "YOU ATE ALL OF MY HOWALON PUFFS AND YOU PUT THE _EMPTY _BOX BACK INTO THE CUPBOARD!"

Vaguely, I can hear Aoi moving around our off-campus apartment but I'm too busy trying to _blow her brother off the face of the Earth _with my eyes.

"Could you get to the point?" He looks bored and proceeds to turn back to his (my!) bowl of Howalon Puffs. He dips his spoon in and, I swear he does this on purpose, _he looks at me from the corner of his eyes and EATS IT._

That's it.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

The shit has hit the fan.

I all but slam the counter with my palm. "You know, I have a _real _problem with you." I put a hand on my hip. "I realize that you're having some kind of dorm problem or _whatever _at _your _school, and I realize, being Aoi's dear brother, you'll be shacking up at our place for the time being. What I _don't _understand and will _never _understand, is the fact that you think you have the _liberty _to _eat my food, dammit_. I explicitly remember telling you on Day Two that _you are not to touch my food. _Especially my morning food! But you continue to touch! You continue to _eat! _And then you ate the whole box! And YOU PUT THE EMPTY BOX BACK INTO THE CUPBOARD! What does that accomplish, I ask you? _Why _would you put the box back? Were you _trying _to make me bring my hopes up only to have you _slaughter _them with your _bare_ freakin' hands?"

"You told me to make myself at home," Natsume points the spoon in my direction.

_The nerve._

I can't believe this. You'd think that you could say just _one _thing, but they hold it over your head forever.

I shake my head and take three steps closer. "I _only _said that because that's what they do in the movies when this sort of thing happens, not because I actually meant it! And hello, genius! I _also _told you not to eat my food but lo and behold, you _eat it! _What do you say to that, hotshot?"

"Well if you lied about the first thing, who says you aren't lying about the second," Natsume shrugs, tossing his empty bowl into the sink and leaning against the counter once more. "Besides, this is my sister's place too. Who says those Puffs aren't hers?"

I try not to clench my teeth. "Oh, I don't know? _Because she's allergic to vanilla and wheat?"_

Natsume shrugs and starts heading into the small living room. "How about I give you a dollar to shut up and buy yourself a new box?"

I follow because I _refuse _to let him think he's won. "Uhm, those boxes are like… $2.98, buster, and I will not shut up in my own house! I have the _right _to be able to eat my own breakfast foods within the safety and comforts of my own home without having to be bothered about sneaky little boys lurking around the corner trying to _eat _it! And who shops in the morning, anyway?"

"The safety and comfort of your own hom—what are you, Matt Damon from _the Bourne Identity_?" Natsume scoffs, riffling through the carry-on he keeps by the leg of the sofa. He takes out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans before standing up to his full height and raising an eyebrow at me. In a low, husky voice, he says, "Who are you calling a little boy, little girl?"

"Don't make me blush," I hiss, narrowing my eyes at him.

I resist the urge to poke him in the chest where there will be lean muscles and delicious abs.

He _does _play soccer, after all.

Instead, I step away from him and watch as he smirks arrogantly and heads into the bathroom. Before he closes the door in my face, he smirks, "Ah ah, don't think about following, pervert."

"I was _not _following!" I huff, ignoring the look of glee on Aoi's face as she rounds the corner in her pajamas and her hair tousled with sleep. "I want to make sure you don't think this conversation is over with! You may be Aoi's brother but you are _not _wearing the pants in this apartment!"

The door opens abruptly. "Oh, but I am."

_Mhm. _I blink at him, because he's wearing those jeans deliciously well an—no! No!

Stop.

Imagination, stop that!

He leans against the doorway with his bangs slightly in his eyes and those red irises almost glowing through. He chuckles huskily and pats me on the head. "You never change, Polka Dots."

"Hey!" I growl at him, ducking under his arm and watching as he walks toward the door to slip on his shoes. "Don't talk to me like I'm your little sister! I am _not _your sister. I am—"

Swiftly, he leans down and presses a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. He's warm as always and the light contact has me tingling and reddening like crazy. He pulls back with a cocky grin on his face. "I know. You're my girlfriend." He smirks and shakes his head. Under his breath, he mutters, "Crazy little girl."

Before I can say anything (_because that kiss caught me off guard_), he leans down to press a quick kiss to my forehead. "I'll get you that cereal you're so ridiculous about after class, happy?"

I frown at him moodily. "I hate you," I call.

He merely waves over his shoulder. "I hate you too."

* * *

:)!


	28. Too Perfect Love

**Title: **Too Perfect Love  
**Prompt:** #46 – hands  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Romance/General  
**Dedication: **To _Five Centimeters_, because I have never seen somebody beat themselves up for forgetting to review before and I love your thoughts. :) And thank you everyone for you words of support. :)

-;-

-;-

Hotaru had never seen anything like it.

He was quiet. She was patient. Their arguments were rumored to be spectacular. Here, they were a novelty. They were the talk of the hospital.

He was the cause of wispy sighs. She was the cause of laughs and smiles.

Around the hospital, he was the most beautiful man in the vicinity, with his midnight hair and blood red eyes. His expressions rarely differed from the austere and stern set of his lips and the strong arch of his defined eyebrows. His eyes, surrounded by a cluster of perfectly long eyelashes, were often narrowed. He was a force to be reckoned with, standing at an admirable height, statuesque in his black pants and dress shirts. He was quiet. When he spoke, it was brusque, professional and to the point.

He changed when he was before her.

His voice was affectionate. His entire countenance warmed up to her and his eyes visibly softened into a devoted look of adoration. He never touched her when he came to visit unless her eyes were closed. He'd trace soft, slow and precise paths down her cheek.

Hotaru couldn't blame him.

She'd known them since she was little.

She had come in a whirlwind of smiles and sunshine. Everybody had fallen in love with her immediately. How could they not, when she'd even managed to get under _his _skin? She was beautiful, in her own way, with her shiny brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. Even her skin seemed to shine to brighten up a room.

Everybody thought he'd be the first between the two of them to go, but irony worked best when it was least wanted. She was the one suffering the worst of the Fourth form and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

Her skin was losing its color.

Her brother was the best doctor in the infirmary and no amount of healing could change her condition. It was painful to see their blossom wither right beneath their eyes.

Perhaps that was what hurt the most, seeing _him_ every waking moment of night and day by her side, sitting in the plastic chair by her bed with eyes warm and tender, knowing this too perfect love would shatter with her last breath.

When Hotaru looked into the room, she glimpsed her sleeping blissfully unaware while he held one of her hands in both of his, pressing it against his lips in a soft, sweet kiss she'd never see.

Their love was so beautiful. It was ironic the one love that was destined to last decades was the one love God chose to put a time limit on. One could see it, see the pebbles of sand sift like snow and see the color in her slowly fade, replaced by the desperate, soft way he tightened his hands over hers.

He brushed the back of his fingers over her forehead, pushing the stubborn strands of her hair away from her eyes and Hotaru's heart thudded painfully in her chest when he kissed her forehead tenderly with eyes someone in love should never show.

Some said it was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

Hotaru wasn't so sure.

* * *

_MHR_


	29. What's in a Name

**Title: **What's in a Name?  
**Prompt:** #19 – bakery  
**Pairing: **Ruka x Hotaru  
**Genres: **Romance/General  
**Dedication: **To _crimsoneyes44_, because you've been asking me for a RukaHotaru for eons and I haven't gone through with it for a while. I wonder why. Anyway, this is one of many to come, aight? :) And I loved your last review.

-;-

-;-

It was raining heavily outside.

Ruka found himself entranced with the raindrops spattering against the windowpane and silently watched the drops race after each other to see which would be the first to reach the bottom. He'd always enjoyed rain. There was something so… inconsistent about it.

It could be drizzling, or brewing with trouble, but today it was merely desolate. Mellow. It was the type of rain that made him feel calm, like even though there wasn't any sunshine, it was going to be a beautiful, soothing day.

He barely got halfway through his coffee before the waitress was back with a dainty hand on her hip and a blinding, lip-sticky smile on her face. "Would you like a refill?" she asked girlishly, ready with a coffee pot in hand.

The only thought that came to his head was the fact that, when she'd first taken his order, she _definitely _hadn't been wearing all that make-up. "No, thank you," he tried to be polite.

She looked slightly disappointed. "Are you sure? It's on the house!"

Ruka smiled kindly and shook his head. "I'm sure, thanks."

Before she turned around fully, she bent down to his ear and smiled, "Well, if you change your mind, just give me a shout. My name's Wakako. I'm sure you won't forget." She smiled in a sultry way before adding, "Oh, and there are some pastries up front you might like to sink your teeth into." She chuckled before standing up once more.

Ruka tried to smile again, but the girl was rather frightening. Instead he pointedly looked back at his laptop, mentally cursing Koko for being late. He shouldn't have been surprised, really. This was Koko, after all, and if there was one thing he wasn't, it was punctual. To think, he was here because the idiot needed a quick cram session before their upcoming algebra test, Ruka shook his head.

_Leave it to Koko to bail without saying anything._

As if the boy had read his mind, Ruka's phone buzzed in his pocket and when he looked at the screen, the obnoxious block letters spelling out _KOKO _blared into his eyes. With a sigh, Ruka flipped up his phone and answered.

"_Sorry, Ruka, I won't be able to make it. I got tied up and—"_

"I figured that out when you didn't show up," Ruka cut him off brusquely, looking out the window and watching the blurring figures walk by. "Where are you?"

There was a frazzled sigh before Koko wailed, _"I'm in the bathroom, okay? I'm…you know what? You don't want to know. Seriously. I'll just wing the test tomorrow. Sorry for dragging you out there for no reason."_

Ruka sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking up to the ceiling for respite. "No, it's okay. Feel better, ok? Natsume told you not to eat that green stuff in the fridge but—"

"—_no, I didn't listen and now, ugh, how was I supposed to know Natsume was all-knowing? I mean—"_

There was a muffled sound from Koko's end of the line, and then a groan and Ruka moved the phone away from his ear, glancing at the screen with disgust. Shaking his head, Ruka was just about to tell Koko _not _to call him when he was in the middle of a heart-to-heart with the toilet fixture when he glimpsed a flash of black running quickly from the other side of the road.

It was strange. It was just a flash of black and pale skin, but Ruka found his heart rate immediately picking up. He couldn't believe his luck when the girl ducked into the café, stamped her feet on the rug and ran a hand through short black hair.

Ruka swallowed thoughtfully.

"Koko," Ruka muttered without taking his eyes away from her, "—you're on your own. Call Natsume if you're puking. Better yet, call Sumire."

"_Gotcha. Ugh, oh man—"_

Ruka tried to subtly tilt his head out of the booth by the window in order to catch a glimpse of that girl's face once more. She wasn't very tall, that much was for certain. He could swear he was just about a head taller than she was, but it was difficult to tell when she was standing up and he was sitting down.

What was more, she—_crap_!

He ducked immediately, only seconds later figuring he was acting ridiculous, before he took another sip of his drink and casually glanced back towards the counter.

The girl was walking towards him, which made sense because the barista had waved her over towards one of the vacant booths in the corner, and Ruka watched as she dropped her book bag to the floor and took off her jacket.

She was actually very pretty, which would explain why he couldn't understand the reason his eyes were so adamant on looking at her earlier. She wasn't stunning or drop dead gorgeous by social standards, that much was for certain, but there was a certain charm about her that intrigued him.

He looked away quickly when the waitress dropped off the girl's drink and started making polite conversation with her.

"You're not from around here, are you? From the Academy, I mean," the waitress asked cheerfully. She was moving around, was all Ruka could make out of it. He kept his eyes averted out the window, catching the vague sight of the girl seated comfortably in her seat in the reflection.

There was a pause, then, "I am a student of Alice Academy."

She sounded so closed off and reserved, like she was annoyed with this girl's presence. Ruka could understand, of course. The girl had been slightly pushy and very talkative, but really. She could've been more polite, he thought.

"Really? I've never seen you around. You _must _be new then. I know _everybody _at Alice Academy!"

Ruka heard a derisive snort. "Apparently not everybody," she said unkindly, followed by the sound of turning paper.

"Really," the waitress was disbelieving, "—then how long have you been going? I would _definitely _know—"

"Three years," the girl interrupted her smoothly. "I'm a sophomore. Will that be all?"

There was a huff before footsteps pattered over and Ruka was nearly startled out of his seat when the waitress's face smiled before him. "Would you like a refill?" It took Ruka a second to realize he was still holding his cell phone with the sound of the tone blaring in his ears.

"No thank you," Ruka gestured at his cup, indicating it was just the same as when she'd left it not six minutes ago. "I'll come to the counter if I need a refill."

"You promise?" She batted her eyelashes.

Ruka frowned a bit before he nodded. He was sure he didn't imagine the snort from behind him and the distinct sound of pages turning. Discreetly—or at least hoping it was—Ruka glanced at the window and watched the girl's reflection.

She had a large textbook opened up in front of her and she was periodically flipping the pages as she took in small sips of whatever drink she had ordered in between. He noticed, after a minute of watching, that she'd drum her fingers on the table when she got to a particularly interesting page and though his heart wasn't beating erratically like ten minutes earlier, there _really _was something about this girl that seemed familiar… in a good way.

_Definitely in a good way._

"If you're going to watch me," her voice brought his eyes to her lips, "—you might as well know you're being rather obvious about it." Ruka felt cold dread seep into his veins and reluctantly, through the window's reflection, he moved his eyes up to meet amused ones in return.

He gulped.

She leaned back in her seat, cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

Something about the stance made Ruka think she was challenging him; she was amused with his antics and wondered what he was going to do next now that she'd caught him. He whipped his gaze away from the window, breathed in twice to calm his heart, and without another thought, he picked up his laptop and his coffee and met her at her table.

Her expression was completely neutral.

He tried to smile, "Hello."

"Stalker," she nodded, bringing her cup to her lips. She didn't indicate in any way that she wanted him to sit down, so Ruka remained upright, watching as she drank, not really even catching what she'd just called him. She was even more beautiful up front.

"May I sit here?" He was glad there was no stutter in his voice that followed the beat of his heart. "I'd like to speak to you."

"Why?"

He could feel the flush working up his cheeks and at the risk of saying something stupid like, "Because I think you're beautiful," he clamped his lips shut and tried to smile. How he managed that, he'd never know. He thought it might have looked creepy but she was already offering him the seat and he was already sitting.

"That barista looks like she wants you to get back to your seat," the girl said offhandedly.

Ruka didn't really care. The barista was really the last thing on his mind. "My name is Ruka," he offered, feeling the silence to be oppressive. The girl looked up then, and Ruka couldn't have even begun to brace himself for what he would see.

Her velvet eyes were piercing when she said, "Oh, I know, Nogi. I know." She smirked and then resumed her reading. She sipped her drink in between pages. Ruka didn't know what to do with himself.

Should he continue to watch her? She might think it was creepy. Should he make his excuses and leave? He didn't really want to. Should he invite Natsu—no. Bad idea. Whenever Natsume was around, the girl in question fell for him in no time. He'd rather have—_shit, he didn't even know her name—_to himself.

He cleared his throat and smiled when she finally looked up. "What's your name?"

"Why does it matter?"

His heart felt so full and his stomach was so full of knots, he blurted out the first thing in his head, "Because I think I might be in love with you but the silly thing is, I have no idea what your name is."

* * *

_TO THOSE WHO THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO POST A SCARY ONESHOT, YOU WERE WRONG. HAHAHA._

_That was unnecessary, I'm sorry. _(And yet I still laugh.)

_MHR_


	30. The Family You've Always Dreamed About

**Title: **The Family You've Always Dreamed About  
**Prompt:** #8 – blanket  
**Pairing: **Yuka x Izumi  
**Genres: **Family  
**Dedication: **To _Midnight Taiyou_, because it's your third year anniversary with Natsume Hyuuga and you've wanted this for a while. :)

-;-

-;-

Yuka had always wondered what it would have been like if Izumi had lived.

Where would they be? Would she have stayed at the Academy to graduate or would the both of them have fled from the barriers so that she could bear their child properly? Would Shiki have followed her, even then? What of Kaoru-senpai? Surely, had she not tried to help Yuka on her quest, Kaoru would be alive and well to see to both of her children… Would the Academy still be shadowed by the Elementary School Principal or would Izumi have vanquished his darkness with all of his light?

Yuka liked the latter idea. Izumi—_she'd taken to calling him Izumi instead of sensei—_had always had such a positive influence on everybody he came into contact with, even those he had never spoken to. She had always thought he was amazing. How could somebody like him still thrive in Alice Academy when all she'd remembered about the Academy was its despair?

She remembered how desperate she'd been to get out of the Academy and back to her family. She'd been drowning in the darkness, feeling the weight of nothingness squeezing against her lungs like a hawk's talons around its prey and remembered the shadows enveloping her mind as the clock in her heart slowly ticked by; and yet it had taken him no time at all to ignite a light in her that would never fade.

Rei had been the same.

Without Izumi there to teach him about his Alice, to show him that he was _normal_, to show him that he was a person that could be loved and not feared, Rei had shrunk back into the boy who did not trust and did not care. She'd seen him, on so many of her trips to the Academy with Z, and could see him fall deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Kaoru-senpai had pitied the boy, Yuka remembered. Briefly, she wondered how her senpai would feel if she saw her little boy going on the missions the both of _them_ had once been forced to complete. She had always been fiercely protective of the ones she loved. She could picture Kaoru beating Rei with her _bare_ hands.

Yuka missed her.

She wished things had come to pass differently.

She was almost thirty now, and if Izumi had lived, he would have been almost forty-two. They had a little girl—_a beautiful little girl—_who was going to be eleven in a few weeks. Did he know? Oh God, she hoped he knew. _Somewhere up there_, Yuka wished fervently, _I hope you know there's a little girl, our little girl, with my eyes and your unforgettable personality._

"_Always by my side, always smiling, creating that kind of family was my dream."_

"Yuka."

She blinked and looked to her left, surprised to find him standing there. "Senpai…"

Shiki's sharp features visibly softened and she was reminded, once again, of how much he had sacrificed to help her. She wished she could tamp down his feelings or perhaps, that she could feel the same way he felt for her. But a large section of her heart—the majority of her heart—belonged to Izumi, and for that, she was not sorry. "We must leave," he said softly. "She will be here next week."

Yuka tore her eyes away from him to rest on her daughter once more.

_Mikan…oh, my girl…_

She was sitting with Kaoru-senpai's son by the base of a cherry blossom tree, sleeping with her head on his shoulder looking so much like _her_. Her heart filled up with something so bright and full; it was a feeling Izumi used to bring to her with just a careful look or a small smile. Just the thought of her little girl, sleeping so innocently, made her envision an unattainable future where Izumi and she could tuck their lovely girl into bed with that radiant smile of hers so reminiscent of his; Yuka wished for a future where she could kiss her on the forehead and wind a scarf around her neck during frosty winters, where she could take her out on walks and buy her candy on Saturdays, where the three of them could go to the park and be the perfect family she knew they could be, the perfect family he'd always wanted.

Their daughter was so perfect.

_Izumi, you would love her…_

"Yuka."

Yuka smiled softly, "Yes, I'm ready."

Slowly, she put a hand on his arm and activated her Alice.

_Goodbye for now, angel girl._

_

* * *

_Shiki is flippin' _fine_. Damn.  
Happy Independence Day, Americans! :)_  
_


	31. It's For a Good Cause

**Title: **It's For a Good Cause  
**Prompt:** #10 – kiss  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume, Tsubasa x Misaki, Koko x Sumire (_My faves!_)  
**Genres: **Romance/Humor  
**Dedication: **To _a lot of people from last chapter. _The reviews I've gotten in the past month were astounding so thank you! I'm going to be dedicating the next few stories/oneshots to a lot of you guys, but this one is for **BrokenFacades. **:)

-;-

-;-

"You're not doing this."

Mikan knew better than to argue with him. They'd gone over this again and again for the past few weeks ever since she'd signed up for the booth at the school carnival and though Natsume liked to think he could control her and her decisions, there was really nothing they could do about it anymore.

She was already standing behind the counter of the kissing booth with five other girls from the middle and high school branches. It was a fancifully decorated booth and the expression of disdain in Natsume's glare pierced right through the large, pink block letters that spelled: _Kisses from the Miss'!_ Briefly she wondered how the boys' kissing booth was faring from the other side of the courtyard.

"You're not doing this," Natsume repeated, almost like he was numb with grief. "It's…how…" he tore his eyes from the sign above her head and his eyes were wide with disbelief. "Do you realize how _unhygienic_ it is?"

"Natsume," she chided, "It's just a kiss on the cheek. I kiss Youichi like that all the time! Why wouldn't I agree to do it for charity?" She leaned onto her elbows, placed her chin in her palms and grinned at him.

He was clueless when it came to matters like these.

She thought it was adorable.

He didn't look impressed. "It's for a good cause, Natsume," she tried to explain.

At this, he scoffed loudly and turned to look away from her with a scowl on his face. "For a good cause…for a good cause…if you wanted to raise money so badly, you could have just asked me, stupid." He looked back at her dubiously. "I could probably give you more rabbits than you're going to raise here…" He looked down the length of the counter and raised an eyebrow, "Combined."

"Hey!" Sumire shrieked from beside her. "_Tons _of boys want to kiss me, _thankyouverymuch_!"

Mikan watched as Natsume twitched just the slightest. He really was adorable when he was jealous. Before she could say much, a voice to her left spoke up.

"I don't like it."

Mikan blinked and turned to see Koko glaring at the booth. He turned to Sumire with wide eyes and flailed his arms. "Permy, it's like being a prostitute! You're doing sexual favors for money!"

"You call _that _a sexual favor?" Misaki scoffed, tossing her pink hair over her shoulder and leaning down to prop her chin up with her hands. "What are you, twelve?"

"Thirteen," Koko muttered in offence, wearing a scowl on his face.

Misaki brushed aside the technicality. "A kiss on the cheek is nothing!" As if to display her point, she leaned over and exaggerated a loud kiss onto Mikan's cheek.

Mikan blushed.

Misaki merely leaned back and grinned. "See? Nothing to worry about. Sexual favors, indeed." She laughed quietly, batting her eyes at Tsubasa, whose eyes were wide with shock.

Natsume stepped closer to the booth directly in front of Mikan and lowered his voice, not deterred in the least that the other girls seemed to think kisses on the cheek weren't a big deal. "Kisses on the cheek are one thing. What will you do when somebody asks you for a kiss on the…" he stopped suddenly, looked away, almost like he was embarrassed, and ran a hand through his hair, whispering, "—what if they ask you for a kiss on the…on the _lips_?"

Mikan couldn't help it.

She laughed and leaned over to put a hand on his arm. "You know I only want to kiss you."

Natsume's eyes darkened.

Mikan pulled away before he got any ideas, vaguely hearing Koko shout, "That's it. I won't stand for this! I'm going to stand right behind you and make sure nobody tries anything funny!"

Tsubasa was whispering into Misaki's ear with a dark expression on his face.

She felt a hand on her chin and turned to look at Natsume, whose expression had not lightened in the least. In fact, his eyes were dark maroon as a shadow of something familiar crossed his face. Mikan felt her heart begin a trot in her chest.

"Regardless whether or not I'm the one you _want _to kiss, as long as you're standing behind this booth, you're willing to…_to kiss somebody else. _I won't stand for that. You…" Mikan bit her bottom lip and heard him exhale sharply. "After everything…You're _mine_, Polka Dots. _Mine. _These," he brushed her lips with his thumb, tugging it from her teeth, "—these are mine. No one else's."

She blinked, feeling all of the blood in her body rush to her face as she stuttered something along the lines of '_haha, Natsume, you kidder you…! Haha…saying things like that…ha…_"

"You think I'm joking?" His expression was serious.

_And so, so handsome._

Before she could so much as begin the process of coming up with a suitable response, Natsume softly tilted her chin up and looked at her with wicked red eyes. Mikan's mind raced. "N-Natsume—don't. It's almost one o'clock and there are people around and I know how much you don't like to do this stuff in front of people—heck, _I _don't like doing this kind of thing in front of people…you—why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Remember. You asked for this, Polka Dots." Natsume's eyes, now a deep maroon, glinted with untamed delight. He looked down into the corner of his eyes before grinning at her. "We may not show much PDA, but I think I'll make a little exception."

She swallowed at the devious look in his eyes and without really thinking, her eyes dropped to his lips. The grin on his lips pulled wider.

His eyes flickered before Serina-sensei's voice echoed throughout the grounds. "Okay everybody! Thank you again for volunteering with the carnival! Remember to raise as much money as you can and have as much fun as possible for the next three days! Do your best!"

With that, the gates to the carnival opened and in streamed a horde of students in their uniforms. Mikan's gaze was distracted from her extremely arrogant boyfriend by the incoming customers who, once they'd heard Misaki's peppy voice through her megaphone, came up to the booth curiously.

In five minutes flat, a line of admirers hung around the booth.

Natsume didn't look pleased in the least.

_Oh God. _Mikan could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks at the extent of clients awaiting their kisses. The fire in her cheeks doubled when she heard a distinctly loud, obnoxious _feminine _voice holler, "OH MY GOD, IS NATSUME-SAMA PART OF THE KISSING BOOTH TOO?"

_The hell he was_, Mikan scowled, straining a bit on her toes to see who had shrieked the question.

A chuckle brought her out of her thoughts and her eyes immediately narrowed onto Natsume's. He had that damnable, and completely sexy, grin still on his face while he propped himself up on the booth counter with one elbow and peered at the crowd who'd gathered.

She thought she saw him glare at somebody in the crowd but before she could so much as crane her neck to see who could possibly elicit such a reaction from him—who was she kidding, everybody annoyed Natsume—he turned back to her.

His grin was mischievous and determined as he turned his full attention to her, his back to the crowd, and slammed down a thick handful of one-hundred rabbit bills. She didn't have much of a reaction time to the gasp of the crowd before Natsume grinned cockily, leaned in and said quietly in her ear, "If we're going to do this out in public, Polka Dots, let's make it good."

In the back of her mind, she thought she heard Sumire's breathing hitch.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it because one moment his red eyes had dropped to her lips and the next moment, without a hint of hesitation, he'd leaned in and kissed her.

It wasn't even just a soft brush of the lips or a quick peck, but one of those kisses Mikan could feel from the tips of her fingers to the ends of her toes. It was one of those kisses that stole her breath and made her legs feel rubbery. It was one of those kisses that left her drawing a blank. It was a patented _Natsume Hyuuga's Panty Dropping _Kiss. Mikan didn't stand a chance.

When he finally pulled away, Mikan felt her body go limp against something hard and blinked slowly, in time to see Natsume lick his lips, set in a smug, boyish grin. "That'll show them."

The comment brought her out of her thoughts and a horrified "eep!" left her lips when she glimpsed the number of eyes ogling what Natsume had made certain was "quite the show". She could feel her face fill with blood. She was mortified! All of these people had just seen them making out! He had his tongue in her mouth!

His deep chuckle brought her eyes back to him as she felt his finger gently brushing against her lower lip. "You're mine, Polka Dots. Now no one will forget it."

He grinned again, threw his legs over the counter and stood behind her chair, glaring at the boys standing in line behind him. Mikan's brain took a minute to realize just what he'd done. Turning almost mechanically, she narrowed her eyes at him and twisted her lips in what she hoped to be a deranged smile. She smiled, saying tightly, "You're not getting away with this, Hyuuga."

"I think I already have, Sakura."

She opened her lips to say more before one of the boys in front of her hollered, "Holy _shit_! How much for a kiss like _that_!"

Natsume was at her side in an instant. He sneered down at the boy and seemed to watch with a perverse pleasure as the older middle school boy flinched back. His voice was low and nonchalant. The sharp edge wasn't missed. "More than you can afford." He placed his hand around her waist and Mikan couldn't believe her eyes.

The boys who had lined up for her immediately moved to either Misaki's or Sumire's. Their expressions were stricken.

She whirled around. "You—! Natsume, you're such a jerk! This is for a good cause. It's not like I'm doing anything bad! Now stop standing behind me and glaring at all of my customers like some caveman and find something better to do with your time." She huffed, her cheeks an alluring shade of pink, before she whipped around and declared, "Natsume promises not to hurt any of you and I'm only doing kisses on the cheek."

She smiled shyly and looked at Sumire, who winked. "Fifty rabbits for a kiss on the cheek! A hundred for a kiss on the lips! Everything's going to charity!" Sumire hollered.

Boys slowly trickled back into her line up before she stiffened at Natsume's presence at her back. "You know," he said softly, his warm breath gently brushing against her neck, "I never did promise not to hurt anybody…"

Mikan swallowed. She kept her voice firm. "Oh, I know. But you're not going to. You know why? Because you love me enough to respect my wishes—"

He scoffed but she ignored him.

"—and for the past two years since we've been together, I've managed to glean enough annoying habits and embarrassing tidbits about you that will knock your enormous ego down a notch. Like that soft spot you have for that thing you hide in your closet and what you like to wear on Sunday mornings—" Without having to turn around to look at him, she could tell his eyes had widened. "And if that won't work for you, I will cause you physical pain by vacuuming your eyes out with a straw and feeding it back to you through your armpits with a smile on my face."

She turned back, then, and smiled pretty. "Got it?"

Natsume blinked slowly before a slow grin made its way onto his face. When he spoke, his voice was neutral. "You're only kissing on the cheek." It was a question, but he didn't make it sound like one.

Mikan fought a sigh. "That's right."

He nodded once, settled in his chair behind her and grinned again, mischievous and cocky. "Alright, I won't stop you."

Mikan blinked. "You won't?"

"Nope."

Confusion raced through her veins, and she hated to admit it, but disappointment as well. She turned her back on him and smiled at her first customer who'd placed five ten rabbit bills on the counter.

"H-hi Mikan." She smiled and he stepped up to the counter, nervously glancing over her shoulder before turning his face so that his cheek was facing her. Just as she was about to kiss him, the boy staggered back, bumping into the boy behind him before stuttering, "Uhh, on s-second thought—I'm just... going to go…over _there_. Keep the money. All of the money. I don't want it. I…I'm sorry!"

Mikan's jaw dropped for all of two seconds before she whirled around, stumbling over Natsume and the chair he was sitting in, which she could've _sworn _wasn't so close behind her, and smacked her face into Natsume's chest. She stumbled off of him with a scowl.

"Why are you sitting so close?" Her voice was annoyed and embarrassed. "I thought I told you to go somewhere else, Natsume. It's a huge carnival and I heard they have discounts on all of those Naruto and Bleach manga you like so much."

She felt smug when his eyes flickered before narrowing in determination. "I'm not going anywhere. I didn't even do anything."

"You were glaring at the poor guy!"

He quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't do that." He turned to the boy standing about a meter and a half away from the counter and lowered his voice in faux nonchalance. "You didn't see me doing anything of the sort…_did you_, boy?"

The boy tripped over his own feet. "N-No, sir!"

He turned to the seething brunette and smiled innocently. "See?"

"You're such an asshat," she glared, turning back to the counter and scooping the money into her container. "Now go away and stop disrupting me."

"No, that's alright. I'm fine where I am. Koko and Kage are doing the same, aren't they? Besides," he lowered his voice so only she could hear him, "—I'm going to have to count how many kisses you give out so that I give them back to you, with interest, when this whole thing is done with." Lowering his voice even further, probably knowing the effect his words had on her, he continued, "And you can bet, Polka Dots, you're not going to get kisses on the _cheek _from _me._"

* * *

_Btw, I'm sorry I fell off the face of the FFN planet. _:( _Hopefully I can finish the dozens of half-finished stories for this section. Fifty is getting closer and closer! _:)

P.S. The _Bleach _and _Naruto _references are for **_Romantically Loveless_** and _**Heartbroken Confession**_, respectively. ;) Because they're flippin' nerdwads.


	32. I'd Put 'U' and 'I' Together

**Title: **I'd Put _U _and _I _Together  
**Prompt:** #47 – dictionary  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Romance/Humor  
**Dedication: **There were a lot of you but **Heartbroken Confession **really needed this. Enjoy it, dorkstick. :)  
**Warning: **Pick-up lines abound. Thanks for the nudge, _crimsoneyes44. _

-;-

-;-

Natsume crossed the floor with some difficulty. He hadn't expected it to be easy, though. Honestly, he really _was _far too good looking for his own good. Though others seemed to think it was a gift from God, Natsume found his looks to be much more of a curse than anything.

It didn't help that he tended to mouth off whenever his friends annoyed him to pieces. Which was often.

Koko, Kitsuneme and Mochu, of course, had run their mouths for a good hour and a half about "hot girls" and "get any girl in this place!" while they were sitting at a table directly across the bar and dance floor and Natsume forgot himself, in a moment of annoyed resignation, and muttered snidely, "You three are about as smooth as pieces of broken glass. You haven't got a hope in the world of getting a girl in this place."

"And you _do_?" Koko had hollered loudly, nudging Mochu in the side.

Evidently, he was a little intoxicated. They all knew he could get any girl he wanted.

Natsume shrugged. "Have you looked at me?" He lifted an eyebrow, gesturing down the line of his body. "Look at this perfection. It doesn't get any better than this."

Ruka shook his head and chuckled lightly. "You're such an ass, Natsume."

"_IF YOU'RE SO SURE OF YOURSELF, WHY DON'T YOU PROVE IT," _Koko slammed down his drink, excitedly, as if he wanted to keep both hands free so that he could start rubbing them together. "I _dare _you—"

"—Ohhh, he's daring you Natsume—"

Koko shoved a hand into Kitsuneme's face to stop the interruption. "—I _dare _you to go up to the bar and use _three _of the stupidest pick-up lines that _we _choose for you and pick up a girl." He grinned cockily and leaned back in his seat, messy brown hair in disarray. "I'll bet you one hundred dollars you won't be able to do it. Sure, you're hot, but no girl likes a cocky guy."

Three pairs of eyes looked at him in disgust.

Natsume looked smug.

"What? He _is _hot and I'm perfectly secure in my manhood enough to say it!" Koko said defensively. "But that's beside the point—the point is, looks will only get you so far, Hyuuga. You think you can get any girl in this place. Well, _I_ think you're wrong."

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Pick-up lines like, _If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together_? I'd rather not." Natsume leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Plus, you lost your job four days ago. How are you possibly going to go through with your end of the bet when I know you're going to get Mochu to pay for your tab tonight because you're _flat out broke_?"

"Hey!"

"So," Natsume ignored Mochu's squawk of indignation, "—I'm not interested when I know you're all bark. Plus, aren't we here to meet your cousin, Ruka?"

Koko jostled his drink onto the table in a hurry to reply. "Who cares about Ruka's cousin? As a matter of _fact,_ douchebag, the only reason I'm not worried about the money is because I know I'm going to win and _you'll _be forking one hundred bucks to _me. _Don't be so confident, Hyuuga, you might just meet your match today."

Natsume barked out a laugh. "Unlikely. But if it makes you sleep better at night, you can pretend I couldn't charm your girlfriend from you when everybody knows I can."

"That's it." Four heads turned to look at Ruka who was lifting himself off of his seat to pick his wallet out of his pants. Looking directly into Natsume's face, Ruka smirked and whipped out two fifty dollar bills and handed them over to Koko. "My bets are on Koko. You're not going to win this time, Natsume."

"You too, Ruka? Need I remind you of the night you were accosted at the door to our apartment because some lunatic thought you were me?"

At this, Ruka closed his eyes and shuddered, automatically pulling his money back. "No. No!" He shoved the money into Koko's hand and took a quick swig from his drink. Then he glared at Natsume. "Despite the fact that some _guy_ assaulted m-my _lips_ on _your_ account, I'm with Koko on this. I have it on good authority that _your head's gotten to be the size of Mississippi _and your ego needs to get stuck with a needle. You're not going to win this, Natsume. I've got some pretty horrible pick up lines I'm ready to suggest to Koko."

Natsume leaned back and closed his eyes. They were too easy. "Fine," he shrugged.

"Fine? That's it?"

Red eyes gleamed with mischief. "Yes. Fine. On one condition…"

Mochu threw his hands up. "I knew it! I knew this was a bad idea! I just knew it!" He slapped Koko on the back of the head. "You know he's going to win, you idiot, why'd you provoke him!"

Natsume laughed. "I'm not going to kill any of you." He turned to Ruka and grinned. "But my condition is, Ruka's going to go home with somebody today."

Ruka's face heated up comically. "What the hell? I just broke up with my girlfriend and _this _is your solution? For me to hook up with some random, faceless girl?"

"It works," Koko shrugged. "I'm down. Here are _your _rules—"

"Hey!" Ruka exclaimed, "I didn't agree to this!"

"A hundred dollars in my hand says you did," Koko answered distractedly. "Now you're going to have to use three pick up lines on her and you're only allowed fifteen minutes. _We _get to choose your target—"

"You people are unbelievable," Ruka shook his head with disbelief.

"Says the guy who bet a hundred dollars against his best friend."

Ruka glared at Natsume and leaned forward into the table. "That's it. You're not getting away with this. _I'm _choosing the girl." He shot Koko a hard look that made the boy's mouth snap shut. "If I lose this, I want to lose it knowing _I _chose the girl. Now perk up, pretty boy," he snapped at Natsume. "There's your target. Now make her swoon. And turn your phone on."

"What?" Natsume's eyebrows immediately furrowed. "Why?"

Ruka narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his seat in a way that was far too smug to be normal. "Wouldn't want you to cut a deal with your girl to split it fifty-fifty. Plus, how else are we going to hear those pick up lines?"

"Nice," Koko fist bumped Kitsuneme and Mochu.

"I see what this is." Natsume's lips lifted up cockily. "If you wanted to take notes on my technique, all you really had to do was ask. I know you're all secretly envious of my uncanny ability to attract the female species…and some of ours. All I'm saying is, I _understand_. I'd be jealous of me if I wasn't me myself. There's really so much going for me… too much, I fear."

There was a pause before Mochu scratched his head and said, "…you lost me at the _if I wasn't me myself _line…"

Ruka rolled his eyes. "Knock it off, ass. The whole point of this thing is to deflate that giant ego of yours. Now listen up, here's my pick-up line—"

"Hey! This was _my _plan! Shouldn't I get line rights?"

"Let me repeat myself: _here's _my _pick-up line. _Nobody said you couldn't give him one, moron," Ruka raised an eyebrow.

Koko laughed for all of two seconds before he exclaimed, "HEY WAIT." He furrowed his brow. "There's one, two, three, four of us…we're only allowed to give Natsume three pick up lines…uhh…that means…one of us _can't_. Shotty not being the loser!"

"SHOTTY NOT!" Kitsuneme hollered.

"Well, since my ass is on the line, _I _get to give him one," Ruka said firmly.

Four pairs of eyes looked at Mochu, who merely shrugged. "I don't want to die, so I really don't care."

Natsume smirked.

"Then it's settled," Ruka turned his eyes to Natsume. He grinned deviously. "Mine is: _I'm no Fred Flinstone, but I sure could make your bed rock._"

Natsume frowned while his friends all burst into a chorus of raucous laughter.

"I got a good one!" Koko leaned forward into the table. Then frowned. "Well, three actually…_I seem to have lost my number. Can I have yours?_" Before anybody could react, Koko knocked over his drink in his haste to continue, "OR—_Baby, are you a parking ticket because you've got FINE written all over you!_ But this is my favorite:_ Can I take a picture of you so that I can show Santa just what I want for Christmas this year?_" Koko grinned goofily. "Take your pick."

Ruka and Mochu both punched him playfully.

Kitsuneme scratched his head when four heads turned to look at him.

Natsume scowled. "Well?"

"Well I don't know…I don't know any good ones…how about, _Kiss me if I'm wrong but isn't your name _?"_

"I'm not kissing some random girl," Natsume said firmly. "I have standards. _High_ standards."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Ruka said calmly, smirking, "—but nobody cares about your high standards tonight. This is a bet, Natsume. Are you in or out?"

Natsume scowled.

"Great. Now let me scope the place out and find the girl I picked earlier…" All five heads turned to face the dance floor and bar. Their table was situated conveniently in a back corner where they could see everything from the bar to the door to the dance floor. Natsume hoped to any higher being that the girl was at least cute.

"There she is! By the bar!" Ruka motioned with his hands in a vague direction. "Go get 'em tiger!"

He pushed Natsume off his seat and it was only with extreme grace that he managed not to twist his ankle. Brushing himself off, Natsume glared at the table and peered back over to the bar with a frown. "I don't know who you're talking about."

"She's the brunette sitting beside the messy green haired girl with the bad perm," Ruka said in exasperation. "Pay attention, Natsume. And phone on. We'll see you in fifteen minutes."

Natsume rolled his eyes and punched in Ruka's number. "Satisfied?" He waved his phone with a flick of his wrist. "What am I supposed to do, put this damn thing in my pocket?"

"Sure."

Natsume sighed and shoved the device into his pocket before turning and searching for his target. It took him several seconds to pinpoint the mop of green beside brown before he shook his head and started forward.

"This'll be hilarious," he heard Ruka's voice as he started away.

He flipped them the bird over his shoulder.

So now he was forcing himself past the mass of grinding bodies on the dance floor to get to the bar—

A hand slipped past his arm to squeeze his abs. Natsume turned around and glared at a brunette who seemed very unapologetic for …_feeling_ him without permission. He could have sworn he could hear Koko roaring with laughter and with a mere roll of the eyes, Natsume continued to push his way to the bar.

He only had fifteen minutes, after all.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he got there and ordered a glass of water from the bartender with a laugh from a girl beside him.

He turned and looked at the girl, who looked right back at him without trying to hide the unimpressed look on her face. "Very manly—" she drawled, turning back to her cocktail, "—Grandpa."

Before he could let his irritation show, a voice from his other side spoke.

"Be nice, Hotaru," the girl admonished from beside her. She smiled at him apologetically and Natsume smirked at the sight of her widening eyes. _Oh yeah_. He really was far too good looking for his own good. _Watch boys, _Natsume thought, _and learn from the master. _The girl swallowed. "Hi."

The bartender set a glass of water in front of him. Natsume brought the glass to his lips and slowly, carefully, brushed the rim with his bottom lip before taking a swift mouthful. He thought he heard a feminine gasp from his right and fought the smirk off his face. _Too easy. _

Turning back to look at the brunette, ignoring the look of interest on "Hotaru's" face, Natsume raised his eyebrow and gestured to the drink in front of her. "What are you drinking?"

In a flash, a hand that was not the brunette's darted out and swept her drink away. "Nothing! She's drinking nothing! Poor thing. Buy her something?"

"Permy!"

His eyes moved swiftly to the green haired girl sitting beside her who had an impish, if not flirty, grin on her face. "What?" she'd lowered her voice, but not nearly as subtly as she thought she had. "He's _hot_. I'm doing you a favor! You should be _thanking _me!"

The brunette groaned and peeked up at him with a frown. She had light brown eyes and quite possibly the most delicious blush on her cheeks. "Ignore them, please."

A lazy grin pulled at his lips. _Too easy._

"Well, I don't want to interrupt you and your friends while you're—"

"—We're not her friends!"

An alarm in his head was telling him he had a little more than ten minutes to get this over with. He threw both girls a charming smile before leaning against the bar counter. "I've got a favor to ask."

Brown Eyes furrowed her brow uncertainly. "What is it?"

Cursing Koko in his head, Natsume kept the smile on his lips. "Can I take a picture of you so that I can show Santa just what I want for Christmas this year?"

From behind him, Hotaru muttered, "Oh God, you've got to be kidding."

Brown Eyes merely blinked. "Excuse me?"

Natsume circled the rim of his glass with his index finger absent-mindedly and shrugged his shoulders. "Your friend seems to think I'm hot and it just got me thinking that, from all of the girls here, you're the only one that's beautiful."

"HEY!"

Brown Eyes' eyebrows both went up before she narrowed her eyebrows suspiciously. The blush was completely forgotten. "Uhm, okay. Thank you?"

"Please don't tell me you're falling for this, Stupid," the girl named Hotaru drawled from beside him. "He's nothing but some pathetic barbarian who's trying to get into your pants."

Natsume turned to her, without glaring, and nodded, "Thanks for that." He turned back to Brown Eyes and smiled what Koko had affectionately dubbed, 'The Panty Dropper' and blinked slowly, almost shyly. He almost grinned when he saw the distracted glint in her eyes. "I assure you, I'm no Fred Flintsone, but I sure could make your bed rock."

Her jaw dropped before brown eyes instantly narrowed. "Okay, what the heck is going on? One moment, you're being really charming and the next minute you're saying the _worst _pick-up lines in the book. I swear I felt my gag reflex getting excited for a show. What's your problem?"

Her voice had raised an octave and Natsume glimpsed the girl beside her putting a hand on her shoulder. "Mikan, I take it back. He may be a total hottie but—" she paused and ran her eyes over him remorsefully, "—he's _so _not smooth."

Natsume glanced at his watch. _Seven minutes._

"Listen here, Casanova," Brown Eyes glared. "I don't know who you are and where you came from but if you're just going to come here with that…that _smile_ and start spewing horrible lines like that, none of us are interested. _None_," she repeated forcefully, when the green haired girl whimpered, "So. Yeah. I'm sure there's a girl on the dance floor that wouldn't need to look past that face of yours but I'm _not _some girl you can just…you know… _smile _at." She grumbled under her breath and turned back to the counter, grabbing the glass of water on the counter and taking a rough sip.

Natsume cleared his throat, amused. "That's my drink."

She blinked, eyes wide, before sliding the glass away from her quickly and wiping a hand across her lips. She cleared her throat. "I'm just going to go wash my mouth with soap now. Goodbye."

Natsume frowned as she left and turned to both remaining girls at the table.

The green haired girl looked at him pleadingly. "Please don't tell me you're this much of a dork. I really don't believe it. I just can't. It's not fair. The world would just be _so _wrong if somebody like _you _talked like _that _and—"

He turned away, throwing over his shoulder. "It's a bet."

His eyes darted swiftly around as he headed toward the restrooms. He only had about three minutes left. _Goddamn._

A sudden commotion caught his eyes.

He almost groaned when he saw Brown Eyes, or Mikan, changing her direction and heading over to a group of boys. He should have known she'd be far more trouble than she was worth.

He followed her with a frown and caught the heated dispute only meters away.

"Let her go, you jerks! Do your four year old brains not understand that _no _means _no_?"

Natsume almost scoffed. Did _her _four year old brain not understand that she was trying to knock some sense into five older _drunk _boys who were probably a half or full head taller than her?

"'ho's the girl?"

"That doesn't matter," she walked forward, grabbing the arm holding a frightened redhead. "Get your hands off and step away from the girl before I call security on your ass!"

Natsume almost grinned, at his position off to the side, until he saw two pairs of arms reaching for her tiny figure. He moved before his brain could even process the white that had flashed before his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at the wide eyed look of the man whose wrist was twisted in his palm. "Don't touch her."

"Red Eyes!" Her voice was relieved.

He turned to push her behind him and growled, under his breath, "You're so stupid."

"They're harassing her! What was I supposed to do?" She was indignant. "You'll help her, right?"

Natsume turned to face the five boys and wondered, briefly, what the hell he had just gotten himself into. "You heard the small one. Let her go."

"What are you, fifteen?" one of them barked a laugh.

Natsume fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to tell you one more time, let her go. I really don't to waste the effort to teach you a lesson."

"He says he can teach us a lesson!"

"Stupid fifteen year olds."

The taunting wasn't what had caused him to take measures into his own hands. It was the soft, defiant whisper from Brown Eyes behind him. "I'll handle this," she said softly. Natsume glared at her, once, before moving swiftly into the semi circle the group had created and knocking the wind out of the one holding the redhead and sliding his foot to nudge the other big one down at the weak spot at the back of his knees.

Before he could do much else, Ruka, Koko, Mochu and Kitsuneme had stepped up beside him and grinned, itching for a fight.

"Your time's up," Ruka said casually from beside him.

Natsume looked at him incredulously. "If you don't want me to beat the shit out of you, you'll shut up and watch my back. I'm far too handsome to die."

What was geared up to be an intense fight ended prematurely when the big guy on the left swayed on his feet and puked on one of the others. The arguments began and Koko lifted himself to his full height and scratched his head. "What just happened?"

"Natsume lost. That's what happened."

Natsume glared at Kitsuneme, who put his hands up. "One hundred bucks, my friend. _You're _paying for drinks tonight!"

He'd almost forgotten about Brown Eyes until she peeked up from over his shoulder and said quietly, "Ruka-pyon?"

His eyes fell on his best friend's so fast, it almost gave him whiplash. Ruka merely grinned up at him, unapologetically. "Natsume, this is my cousin, Mikan. Mikan, this is my best friend, Natsume."

She stepped away from his side and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "He was hitting on me."

"I know," Ruka smiled boyishly. "Don't worry. It was a bet I knew he was going to lose. He has such a fat head sometimes, I needed somebody to deflate it and what better way than you, cousin dear, and those three pick-up lines."

"_You _got him to say those pick-up lines?" She laughed, looking up at him with sparkling eyes. Natsume frowned and looked away. "I only remember two of them… what was the third?"

Natsume flipped his phone off and turned. He wasn't impressed in the least at the growing smile on her face. "You might as well finish it off properly, _Natsume_. Lay it on me."

He scowled before his eyes slipped to Ruka's.

He almost grinned.

Stepping closer to her, until her nose was practically touching his chest, he brushed a finger under her chin and said lowly, "Kiss me if I'm wrong but… is your name Brown Eyes?"

"You know what my name is," she furrowed her brow, cutely.

Natsume almost slapped himself on the forehead. "I'm well aware."

"Oh…" Then her eyes widened and flashed to meet his. "Oh! You want to kiss me!"

_She was so stupid…_

She grinned and leaned up on her toes before quickly pressing her lips to his.

…_maybe not _that _stupid._

_

* * *

_

Sorry, this was a little rushed. Uhm, a lot rushed. I wrote this really quickly today. Sorry for the lack of updates.

Anyway, I was experimenting with a new kind of Natsume. AKA, Arrogant-ish!Natsume. Was it weird?


	33. Wedding Dreams and Bedding Seams

**Title: **Wedding Dreams and Bedding Seams  
**Prompt:** #35 – church  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Romance/Action/Adventure/Drama  
**Dedication: **_crimsoneyes44_ because I got your PM but you haven't replied to my email! _GJAM, _because I haven't talked to y'all in forever. _Midnight Taiyou, _because you and your romance got me in the mood. _And _other special people in the real world who make me happy (and sad, damn youuu).  
**Disclaimer: **"In war, there is no prize for the runner up." -_General Omar Bradley_. "All is fair in love and war." -_John Lyly, _originally

-;-

-;-

When she was a young girl, Mikan dreamed about the perfect, beautiful white wedding.

Ji-chan had told her that her parents worked and lived in the stars. At the time, she'd been in awe. Her parents were among the glittering pinpricks of light that brightened up the sky! How wonderful that was. She wished she could join them! A job like that would be fantastic! But Ji-chan had scolded her most viciously when she'd voiced out her thoughts and said that she would be asked to fly to the stars when it was her time.

At the time, she hadn't understood.

She dreamed that the sky would give her parents vacation time. They'd been working up there for quite some time, hadn't they? She hadn't seen them in all of her seven years. Could they not allow her parents just one day with her? Oh…but if they came down, the sky wouldn't be as bright…would it?

Perhaps she was being selfish.

Perhaps the sky needed them more than she did. She could bet her mother and father were the brightest stars of all! Ji-chan merely chuckled sadly and pulled her onto his lap. Tucking her head under his chin, Ji-chan murmured, _"You aren't a selfish child, Mikan-chan. Never."_ Mikan remembered thinking, _when I marry the man of my dreams, he'd make me feel as safe as Ji-chan could._

-;-

When she'd met her most cherished, childhood friend, Mikan thought she'd marry Hotaru.

Hotaru had all but shirked away from the idea and swatted her violently into a bush, but despite Hotaru's harsh actions and blunt statements, Mikan felt something so full and warm bloom into her chest. It felt different than how it felt with Ji-chan.

She never wanted them to part.

She dreamed about full, white wedding gowns for them both with their parents in the front row, watching with tearful eyes. Hotaru's parents were as clear as day. She dreamed about what her parents would look like—her father's wide grin and her mother clasping desperately at Hotaru's mom's hands.

At the time, she hadn't understood.

Among their many adventures, they'd arrived at Nagoya's oldest, most beautiful church and Mikan was in awe of the magnificent grooves and details below turret-shaped structures and the archaic shapes of lions and eagles standing watch above the walls. The windows were perfectly squared, without stained-glass, and the black frames among the dirty, grey bricks felt, more than looked, completely right.

She remembered saying, "Hotaru…when we marry, we'll marry in a church like this, right?"

And Hotaru had stood there, blank violet eyes scrutinizing the structure wistfully for several long moments, before she turned with a small, almost-not-there smile, smiling as if she knew something Mikan didn't, and said firmly, "It's hot. Ji-chan's got the watermelon cut."

_Watermelons with Hotaru and Ji-chan!_

While they swung their dangling legs from the porch, happily munching on watermelon and spitting out the black seeds and grinning at each other, Mikan remembered thinking, _when I marry, I want to be able to eat watermelons like this everyday with the person that I love._

At the time, she'd thought it would be Hotaru, but she hadn't understood.

-;-

When she'd arrived at Gakuen Alice, the thought of marriage had drifted to the back of her mind.

Though, at times, she found herself thinking about it.

When Narumi-sensei danced into the room with loose, rumpled white shirts and white feathers in his hats, she dreamed of white silk ties and white smiles and beautiful white roses among the perfect flower arrangements.

When she ate a different slice of cake after Natsume all but threw the pot of tea at her during the Alice Festival, Mikan dreamed about her wedding cake tasting like heaven and Howalon and happiness. She dreamed about inviting the whole school to her wedding, even Jin-Jin and Natsume, so that her wedding could have the flurry and excitement she felt whenever she was in class or welcoming students into the RPG event.

When it came to the Last Dance and she danced with Tsubasa-senpai, she remembered looking at his grinning face and swift feet, and she dreamed about playing that song during the reception and wishing the person she would marry could dance as well as Tsubasa-senpai, with his strong hands and warm hold.

When Natsume had stolen her first kiss—_twice!—_Mikan dreamed about standing in front of the priest and kissing her _husband _for the first time. She remembered reddening and almost hating herself for being so perverted. She was ten! But… she dreamed it would be slow and sweet, soft and soothing like feather pillows and silk scarves and Natsume's hair.

When she found the harried scrawl of love behind the bookcase in the Special Ability class—_Yuka|Sensei_—Mikan dreamed of love letters, ostentatious declarations of love, a swooning proposal, romantic wedding vows and her signature with the last name that would end up _hers. _

_Mikan Yoshiaki… Mikan Suzuki… Mikan Yukio… Mikan Masao… Mikan Kiyomori… Mikan Minoru… Mikan Hideki… Mikan Hayashi… Mikan Higuchi… Mikan Hyuu—_

She dreamed about horse drawn carriages, cotton candy drinks, dancing flowers and most especially, she dreamed about the person she'd marry. She hoped he'd be beautiful and perfect. She hoped her parents would come. She hoped she'd fit into her dress. She hoped she'd be in love.

-;-

When the war started, Mikan was sixteen and she dreamed about memories of happier times.

She'd forgotten about marriage entirely. She'd always been a dreamer and her marriage was her most elaborate daydream of all. But they were merely dreams, fantasies from a naïve child who hadn't even become a teenager.

Dreams were dreams. Fantasies were fantasies and when it all came down to it, sometimes reality got in the way.

But she still wished for happiness.

She would never give up on happiness.

-;-

The elementary school building was in ruins, but Mikan couldn't stop to look at it and remember all of the amazing memories she had made in that building. There was no time to stall. No time to dwell. No time to _stand still_ when everything was mass chaos and people were dying.

_Oh God, Hotaru—no!_

A brush of wind against her shoulders made the hairs on the back of her neck sway. Mikan turned back and lashed out an arm with a fury she didn't care to recognize. Her eyes were burning, whether from the number of enemy Alices trailing after them or because Hotaru, _oh Hotaru…!_

"Mikan."

Her stance didn't budge, but from her peripherals, she watched as Ruka flexed his hands as he spoke. "Let me handle this. Go to the Northern forest. It's the last leg of the race and they need you there. Misaki-senpai and I can handle these bastards."

His words didn't surprise her. His lack of a smiling face, even to reassure her, didn't surprise her either. They had lost so much. _Oh, Tsubasa-senpai…_

Mikan could feel her throat closing up when she stood and dragged her gaze away from Ruka to Misaki. Her pink hair hung limp in a ponytail and her eyes were tired. Every line in her body was haggard and thin. When she felt her looking, Misaki turned her head slightly and smiled a pained, sad smile that told her, _Go. We have your Alice stones._

"Go to Natsume, kouhai," Misaki's voice was a firm whisper. _Go to the one you love._

Her heart clenched at the utterance of his name and she twisted on her heels, nullifying another barrage of Alices with a twist of her wrist. She looked at them both determinedly. "You're my family." _I don't want to lose you._

"As you are ours," Ruka said earnestly. "Take the window."

Nothing else needed to be said.

Mikan ran down the hall and, arms pressed criss-crossing against her face, jumped out the window with a deafening crack of broken glass and frame. She felt the wind through her hair, the drop in her stomach and the twisting in her throat before she felt Ruka's eagle catch her mid-fall. Her knee fell sharply on one of its wings and the magnificent bird banked to one side with a cackle before it righted itself and dove toward the forest.

She felt her heart fragmenting as she left them behind.

The war waged below her, but then again, it had been months now. Months. Months of backward looks, furtive glances, stuttering hearts and tense appendages. It wouldn't be long now, she hoped. There weren't many more people who could fight anymore, on _both _sides.

She remembered vaguely, a quote she'd heard from Natsume just after Hotaru had… Mikan closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, remembering Natsume's quiet voice rumble with her head on his chest. "In war, there is no prize for the runner-up."

_Yuu, Hotaru, Nonoko. Tsubasa, Kitsuneme, Mochu._

It was so unfair. So unfair.

_All is fair in love and war…_

Mikan shook her head and tried to calm the harsh gallop of her heart before she dropped into the forest and into the heart of the battle. Shouts of orders. A groan to her left. The thundering of a tree as it hit the ground and caused her legs to shake on her perch on a branch.

She felt him before she saw him, and she knew he could feel her too.

If anything, that made her movements more frantic, the force of her nullification more harried and strong. Because she couldn't lose him. She just couldn't. She'd lost too much already. How much more of this could she take before she went insane? How much more of this fighting could she take before her body broke into tiny pieces and her heart was irreparable?

The pouch was heavy around her neck.

With quick eyes, she dropped to an open area and he ran to her before she could take her second step toward him. Their eyes caught. His cheeks were dirty, his left scratched and his bangs were partly sticking to his forehead with sweat and partly going into his eyes. His eyes…_so beautiful._ His eyes dropped quickly to scan her for injuries and though she was aware they were in the middle of battle, she couldn't help the feeling of relief as her blood bubbled with warmth in her veins.

His eyes caught hers again and one of his hands ran down the length of her arms before he ended at her pinky, tugging lightly with his fingers. "Mikan." His voice was low and relieved.

He didn't say anymore as they jumped back into battle. It had all been said in that one word.

_I thought I'd lost you._

_I'm glad you're safe. _

_You're with me again._

_I missed you._

_We're so good together._

_I love you._

For a second, a wonderful second, Mikan felt her heart calm, her limbs relax as she basked in his presence. _This was how it was supposed to be. _

Then a blast sounded to her right and her nullification was pumping, her hand dove for the stones in her pouch as she shoved an array into his hand and murmured, "The blue ones are for healing."

-;-

It was dark when night fell and the Alices retreated for the night. That was the thing about war. Apparently there was something honorable about war. It was an unvoiced agreement that for five hours in the dark of the night, both sides retreated for much needed sleep and recuperation. They both had to trust that the other would honor this agreement.

Mikan had always thought it was stupid.

_Trust the enemy? _Absurd.

She would never trust the people who were responsible for killing those dear to her. Never. It was preposterous of the school to ask it. But they did. And she almost hated them for it.

A familiar, too-warm hand brushed her forehead and she relaxed without even knowing she'd been as tense as a steel beam. "You're frowning," Natsume's voice drifted into her ear.

Mikan turned to look at him, sitting next to her on the tree branch. "You should sleep, Natsume. It's _my _watch, not yours."

"Just because I should, doesn't mean I have to." He lifted his hand to brush the hair that escaped her ponytail away before resting his arm around her waist. He'd never been very forward about touching her, other than the knack he'd had with tripping her and looking at her panties. But since the war, he'd seemed to crave the small touches he could steal and Mikan, she didn't mind. The soft brushes of his hand and the warmth…There was no time for hesitation, doubts and regrets.

Who knew how much time they had left?

Her heart twisted and almost as if he knew, Natsume tightened his arm around her. She leaned into him and closed her eyes, feeling the world tighten its chokehold around her neck. "I miss her," she whispered, feeling her dry eyes ache. "They took so many. Did they have to take her? They didn't have to take her. Or Tsubasa-senpai. It's not fair…lost so many…Natsume—"

"Marry me, Mikan."

Her entire body stiffened so suddenly, her spine ached. She turned her face into his shirt and held onto his back. Had he just proposed? She'd probably been hearing things. Her brain was so emotional, it was bringing stupid, past fantasies into her mind again.

He rubbed her back, up and down, before gently prying her off of him. "We need to get down."

"Why?"

Her heart started galloping in her chest when he merely jumped down to the ground and looked up, as if saying, _I know you can do it on your own, but if you fall, I'll catch you._

She jumped and he stepped forward to place his hands on her shoulders, before he ran them down her arms and took her hands. Her heart almost stopped when he smiled, that unrestrained, boyish smile that made her believe, for just a second, that their world wasn't about to crash at their feet. The turn of his lips made him look, for the first time, like nothing was holding him back or down, like he was free.

He was so beautiful.

"Marry me, Mikan," he said in a low, soft voice. "Not because of the war. Not because we've lost so many. Not because of anything other than the fact that you…love me."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish with, _and because I love you, _but after a long moment, he scowled and she knew he couldn't get the words out.

She couldn't help it.

She choked out a laugh. "That's presumptuous, don't you think? When have I ever told you I loved you?"

He did whatever he always did when he didn't want to argue with her.

His lips were soft but the kiss was hard and swift and she warmed with the contact. He pulled away and swiped her bottom lip with his thumb with a smirk. "Because you let me do that everyday. Because ever since we were ten, I've seen every pair of panties you've ever worn. Because you don't go out with anyone because you know what I'll do to them. Because you check up on me after missions. Because you come to me at night when you can't sleep and even when you can. Because your hair is brown and you make stupid Mikan-dolls. Because you share your ridiculous Howalon with me and buy me manga when you're only a two-star. Because you make me angry. Because you're stupid. Because no matter where you are and who you're with and where you go, you always come back to me."

There was a small smile on his lips when he placed his hands on her waist. "That's how I know. That's how you've told me. Now, will you marry me?"

Mikan merely shook her head. "Yes."

**part one, fin**

**

* * *

**_Sorry about the lack of updates, guys. I've been a little caught up with University and haven't had time or energy to do much writing, so it really surprises me how many people still read, review and alert my stories despite not updating for a few weeks. Thank you! **Part two** will be posted once I actually write it! I haven't edited this yet, like actually. So grammar and spelling? Don't cringe too much. _D:

_Thirty-three installments to The Space (TSBDAR). Shoot me now. _


	34. Abandonment

**Title: **Abandonment  
**Prompt:** #13 – consolation prizes  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Hurt/Family/Drama/Romance  
**Dedication: **_to _**KazeNoSakura**_ for leaving a load of enticingly rich reviews while I was (am?) away.  
_**SPOILERS: **Manga spoilers to the extreme from early chapters to the most recent, 137. You have been warned.  
**Warning: **Emo-ness abound.

-;-

-;-

It's not normal, she thinks, not normal to find Abandonment a frequent visitor in her life.

It comes when she least expects it, like an unforgiving tempest on a deceptively clear day, and it lasts for as long as years. She's used to it, though. With the amount of time Abandonment has come and left a mark on her life, she finds it difficult to do anything but feel her heart harden just a little more with every passing, like strained arterioles and passing cholesterol.

She knows not to blame the people around her, but she cannot seem to find anything in her to blame herself.

She blames Hope, for making her believe there was a possibility for something better for her. She blames it for making her believe that somebody she loves _so much_ will stick around long enough to restore her faith in humanity. She blames it. She hates it. She tries so hard to believe that it cannot possibly hurt her so.

But Hope has a remarkable ability to grow and fester in the deep recesses of her mind, and she hates that it never fails to bring her heart to her feet, her stomach to her throat and her eyes to a close in a fruitless attempt to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks.

_No…_

Her father had been the first. She found it rather hysterical she experienced her first rencontre with Abandonment before anybody even knew she was a _she _to begin with. Granted, she had not known she loved him until she was old enough to wonder why all of the other kids at school screamed into the arms of their _Daddy! _or _Mommy!_ It only hurt much more when she realized she had lost him before she had even had him.

She remembers having a lot of friends back in Nagoya, but never remembers a best friend like she remembers Hotaru Imai. Hotaru was a quiet girl with busy hands and acute concentration, with a flat voice and no nonsense personality, with solemn eyes and incredible intelligence. She remembers loving her the moment she locks eyes on the girl. They were best friends, she remembers, but a best friend does not abandon her best friend to hustle to an elite school for the gifted. Hotaru Imai was the hardest hit with Abandonment yet.

It seems with Abandonment's every appearance, it is harder and harder to take.

_Please._

She meets a number of amazing people at Gakuen Alice but it seems the more people she finds a great affection for, the more frequent she encounters Abandonment. Many say it is in her nature to find love for others so easily. Many say it is a _good _thing. But she knows they have not seen the state of her heart, nor know the sacrifices it must take in order to maintain this _good thing. _

She knows Abandonment in small doses that do nothing more than tug a little too roughly on the arteries of her heart, but nothing hurts more than _this. _

_Not mother._

She barely remembers even meeting her mother. Due to pressing circumstances, there was never anything more than her identical gaze from across the room and the barely-there, soft and brief touch of hands and the warmth of her arms wrapped around her shoulders. But briefly, briefly she thought that was enough.

At the back of her mind, she hears a tiny, almost pathetically consoling voice say; _at least you told her you loved her. _But that is no consolation. Nothing can give back the moments she has spent envisioning a future with the only parent she has ever known. Nothing can repair the damage of snapping her heart entirely from her chest and throwing it right back down at her feet.

Yuka Azumi, her mother, is the most gut-wrenching stab Abandonment has ever taken at her.

There is nothing left.

Nothing but the blood she can see seeping through her mother's shirt, the grey-black tinge to her face and the haunting vision of death in her mother's eyes. Nothing, nothing—

"Mikan."

The touch is warm—unhesitating—and the voice is deep with concern—constant.

_Natsume_.

Before long, before she can even register what is happening, his arms are around her in a protective embrace and his back is hunched as he balls her into his body, like he's trying to block out the entire world from touching her ever again. Like a human shield.

It takes her a moment to realize his body is shaking and his eyes are closed tight and the hold he has on her is almost uncomfortably firm.

Her heart clenches.

She finds it preposterous, because she swears she remembers seeing her heart being hurled furiously at her feet and the blood spattering in a rainbow formation by her shoes. Because surely this loss, this abandonment, is the last her heart can possibly take. But her heart clenches and it's still there and she wonders why, _why_ she wants to banish and welcome Hope again into her heart.

Because it hurts too much, unbelievably so.

"—Mikan."

_But this is Natsume_ and he hasn't abandoned her yet.

And she thinks, maybe her heart can take one more, just one more hit.

And she thinks—as she reaches up to put a quiet hand to his cheek and watches as his eyes, the most beautiful red, flicker open to stare at her with mixed concern, grief and love—she thinks, she will put her heart on the line, one more time, and hope that Abandonment doesn't take Natsume too.

Because her loved ones are worth the pain, Mikan knows.

And if Natsume leaves her, he will be the last.

* * *

I will have the second and last part of _Wedding Dreams and Beddings Seams_ up next. It's already half-written. My inspiration kinda just died with the recent chapter when it was assaulted rather harshly with the inspiration for this one. Hope you enjoy and thank you so much for your continued support! I know I kinda suck but I try not to. :(


	35. On Either Side of the Door

**Title: **On Either Side of the Door  
**Prompt:** #5 – shelf  
**Pairing: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genres: **Romance  
**Dedication: ****FallenJewels**_. I LOLed at your review. For serious._**  
**

-;-

-;-

She forgives him too quickly.

Or at least, that's what Sumire tells her.

"I hope you realize the quicker you forgive him, the more he's just going to keep doing stupid things, knowing you'll let it go. That's the problem with you, Mikan. You're too nice. You're a pushover. No wonder he refuses to let you go. He can get away with anything when it comes to you."

That was yesterday.

_When you smile  
the whole world stops and stares for a whil—_

Mikan looks dully at the cell phone lying by her thigh and cringes internally at the name flashing on the screen. The song is cut short and the screen is alight for a few short pauses before her phone buzzes with a text.

She dives for it.

-;-

**1 new message  
22:04 Fri, Nov. 15**

**From:** Natsume Hyuuga  
_Look, I know I messed up.  
How many times do I have to say it until you believe me?  
And don't you think your reaction is a little unreasonable?_

-;-

Vaguely, she wonders if she should warrant his stupidity with a text.

She decides against it and merely leans her head back against the door of her room and exhales sharply, focusing on her bookshelf and her bed… anything. She really shouldn't be this upset. She hates being one of those girls that gets insecure whenever their… boyfriends spend time with other girls.

It isn't like she doesn't trust him either.

Natsume and she… they have gotten through a lot of obstacles to get where they are now. They have been friends for six years and only now have they started dating. Sumire has always said there was a freakish connection between them the moment they had met. She never says it out loud, but Mikan wishes that were true.

The truth of the matter is simple: Natsume and she are merely one screwed up couple. Or perhaps she is the only key freak in the relationship. The point of the matter is that they are flawed and even then, their friends all think they are perfect.

She's insecure.

He's all about confidence.

She's stubborn.

He's impatient.

When she thinks about it, there isn't a day that goes by that they don't argue about something… and the thing about Natsume is he always ends up leaving angry.

_When you smile  
the whole world stops and stares for a whil—_

His name flashes over the screen once more but she merely squeezes her phone tight to muffle the sound of the song. A minute seems to pass before she receives another buzzing text message.

-;-

**1 new message  
22:12 Fri, Nov. 15**

**From:** Natsume Hyuuga  
_Polka Dots, call me.  
You're so stubborn._

-;-

See? Stubborn.

She doesn't know why they even bother. _Everything was so much easier when they were just… friends. _But even as she says it in her head and rolls the words around her tongue, she knows that they can never go back to that.

Never.

-;-

**1 new message  
22:16 Fri, Nov. 15**

**From:** Natsume Hyuuga  
_Open your door._

-;-

She almost drops her phone and spins around to stare at the door with wide eyes.

Hesitantly, she says, "Natsume?"

His reply is quick. "Polka Dots, open your door."

"How the heck did you get into my house! I told Grandpa I didn't want visitors! And you…I don't want to talk to you!"

He snorts. "Yeah, I figured when you didn't answer my last dozen calls and texts."

"Natsume… _how did you get into my house_?"

He pauses slightly and sighs. "Open your door, Polka Dots. I'm not going to talk to your door."

"So I'm a door now, am I? Get out, Natsume, you pig."

There is a sound of shifting feet before the door thumps slightly and Mikan knows he's sitting on the ground and leaning his back against the door. She watches his shadow shift a little from under the door before she turns around and does the same.

Back to back, he inhales sharply. "You know your Grandpa likes me better than you," he says simply, after a moment's pause. "Besides, I'm not a visitor. I'm your boyfriend."

She opens her mouth to say something caustic before she snaps her mouth shut. "He shouldn't have opened the door," she says sullenly.

"Even if he didn't, Grandpa gave me a key to the house five months ago."

"He _what_!"

She's almost inclined to throw open her door and stomp downstairs but that's what he wants and she's not ready to look at him yet.

Natsume sighs from the other side of the door. "It was an emergency key. If something were to happen to you…"

He says a lot of things by those words. Grandpa isn't exactly the youngest grandfather in the world. Her parents both died before she was even a preteen. _Oh Grandpa…_when she thinks about it, if Grandpa ever passed away, she would have nobody. Nobody but Natsume and Hotaru as family.

"I don't want to talk about that," she says quietly.

"Then we can get right into the fact that you are blowing everything out of proportion," he says curtly.

"_I'm _blowing things out of proportion? I'm not being unreasonable about this, Natsume! Even Sumire says I have a right to be mad! You… you danced with that girl!"

"Because you told me you wanted me to," his voice is exasperated. "I don't understand why you're getting so mad when it's what you wanted. And I didn't even dance with her for more than half a minute before I couldn't stand it anymore."

Okay, she hadn't known that… but still!

"Just because I say I want you to dance with her doesn't mean I _actually _want you to. You were supposed to say no! You're supposed to be smart!"

"I am smart," he says dryly, "—which is probably why you can't understand logic. Stupid girl."

"That's not funny, Natsume."

"I get sarcastic when I'm forced to talk to inanimate objects because my girlfriend won't open her damn door. What can I say?"

"You're sarcastic all the time, you jerk, not to mention the fact that when we have _one _argument, you always decide to up and leave before anything can get resolved which is the reason why we've been brewing over this for what? Four days?"

His sarcasm practically oozes through his words. "Didn't know you liked seeing me get angry. If I'd known, I would have stayed." He sighs an exasperated sigh. "That…I don't want you to see me get angry, Polka Dots. You shouldn't see something like that. It gets ugly."

"Do you think I care, Natsume? Maybe I don't want to open the door because I don't want to see you walk out on me again. Have you ever thought about that? Geez, Natsume. How do you possibly expect this thing to work if we can't even talk to each other like a normal couple?"

His tone is wry. "At least we're not passing notes from under the door."

She snorts and then feels something pushing at her hand. There's a sheet of paper being pushed under the door and for some reason, it makes her laugh out loud. She grabs it and unfolds it to see Natsume's neat writing in the middle of the page that says _I'm sorry._

Well shit.

Now she _has _to open the door. She twists her lips, "You're apologizing with a note? What are we, twelve?"

"I'm not going to apologize when I can't even see your face; it's your call, Polka."

She opens the door with her heart in her throat. He picks himself off of the floor and immediately towers over her. He's expressionless but his eyes soften when he sees her. He closes the distance between them and she moves the inch or two so that she's leaning against his warm body.

He wraps her into a warm hug and she feels him kiss her hair before he mutters, "Mikan, I'm sorry…"

* * *

_You don't know how strong the urge was to end the story with, "Mikan, I'm sorry…that you're an idiot."_


	36. I Need to Do Something

**Title: **I Need to _Do _Something  
**Prompt:** #25 – helplessness  
**Pairing: **Anna x Ruka x Hotaru  
**Genres: **Friendship  
**Dedication: **For everyone who thought I should've ended the last oneshot with that unromantic line_. Hah. _**  
**

-;-

-;-

The lights flickered from over her head.

He watched as Anna paused in her stirring as the digital numbers on the oven dimmed before brightening once more. With a quick breath, she added baking powder into her mixing bowl and folded the mixture together with practiced ease.

The kitchen was drenched in a thick, delicious odor of baked goods.

Ruka wasn't surprised when he was hit with the smell of a bakery once he'd stepped onto the second floor of the Elementary School building. It was a well known fact: when she was anxious or frustrated, Anna baked. _Really _baked. She baked apple turnovers and tarts, cookies and pies, cakes and scones. She prepared muffins and quiche and entire loaves of bread. She baked croissants, cream puffs and some other things he couldn't name.

Anna baked.

Period.

Especially once the war had started.

The phenomenon had started months before, but Ruka hadn't known until he'd heard Mikan telling Hotaru in passing almost two weeks ago. She'd caught Anna in the kitchen at the dead of night. _Again. _Mikan had sounded concerned into distress and Ruka had to see for himself. At one o'clock the next morning, he crept out of bed and headed to the kitchen. Not only did he see Anna that night, but Mikan too. She sat at the back of the kitchen, sitting on the counter with her feet dangling above the ground in her sweatpants and her hair in braided pigtails. She seemed surprised to see him but he merely shrugged at her questioning glance.

Together, they had watched Anna bake in silence before he could take it no longer.

"Why?"

Mikan had paused for a long moment. "I asked her last week. She wouldn't answer me…and right now, when she's baking, she gets in this trance and no matter how much you talk to her, she just doesn't seem to hear. I spent three days talking to her last week but she never once said anything in return. I just…I'm really worried about her. I hate seeing her like this. And don't you see her in classes? She falls asleep so often now, even in Misaki-sensei's class. I'll leave after two or three hours and when I come back in the morning, she's _still _here. It must be hours. She just doesn't stop. Do you think we should tell a teacher?"

Ruka remembered exhaling thoughtfully. "I'm sure the teachers can see what's going on, Mikan. But maybe we can talk to Narumi-sensei later. He might have something good to say about this."

Mikan had agreed in silence and after watching her for almost another hour, Mikan had jumped down from the counter, stretched and tossed him a sleepy smile. "I'll see you in the morning, Ruka-pyon. You should try to sleep."

"You too," he was half hearted.

They both knew sleep would not come easily.

Natsume had been in and out of the infirmary for weeks now. The war demanded he use his Alice and when it came to _them_, his family, he would do anything. He pretended to be such a hard ass, but Ruka and Mikan knew better than to believe that. In fact, anybody from Class 2B knew better. At the moment, it was his shift on watch and Ruka had no doubt Mikan would try to sneak out and see him again, despite the danger.

Another hour seemed to pass in a flash and the warm scent of dough began to make his eyes feel heavy.

He had been on the cusp of deciding to leave when his curiosity could take it no longer. "Why do you stay up to bake so much, Anna?"

He had held his breath, waiting for a response but ultimately, Mikan was right. None came. It was like she hadn't heard him at all. With a quick exhale, Ruka had plucked a cookie from the closest tray to him and popped it into his mouth, feeling his saliva flowing into his mouth and feeling the warm trail of sweet pleasure ease down his throat. It made the waiting seem that much easier. When the beginnings of dawn approached, Ruka slipped down from the counter and stretched.

Anna's voice stopped him in his tracks. "I have to do something."

"Huh?"

The steady rhythm of her stirring hands never wavered and she lapsed back into silence.

Ruka waited another hour before it became clear she would say no more.

The next night passed in much the same manner as his first night. He met Mikan on the way to the kitchen and after two hours, she would leave. He stayed and at the slightest rays of the next morning, Anna would part him with another sentence.

It was his ninth night, Ruka thought, and the lights continued to flicker on and off. The oven would shut off for no more than two minutes at a time, but Anna almost burst into hysterics every time. Nothing could be done. There was a war waging and blackouts weren't much of a rarity anymore. It seemed like they were in a constant state of darkness anyway. None of them were surprised any longer.

With a shudder and a hiss, the lights went out once more. He heard the distinct sound of Anna's harsh inhale before she promptly burst into dry sobs. "I haven't done _anything_! …Keeps going out and the time is never right so it goes in the garbage and–such a _waste_! Already low on supplies and what…do is just waste…can't do anything anyway and now…just holding back…"

What seemed like five minutes passed and the lights had not flickered in the least. It seemed the two minute increments were no more. The electricity was well and truly out.

Ruka cleared his throat, "Anna?"

"_What?"_

"I think this is a sign that you need to go to sleep."

"Sleep! How can I think about going to sleep when I haven't done a thing! Nothing! I can't do anything when the lights are out like this! Sleep, ha! You think I can actually sleep with _this_?" Her voice was beginning to break as panic set in. "What can a Cooking Alice do in a war? Mochu makes jokes all the time about making _stupid _gingerbread armies but it's true…we're useless. We can't do anything but make _food_. Good food. That's the only thing I can do and I can't even do _that!_ While everybody else is taking part in the war and protecting this place that we love, I can't do a thing! You wouldn't know what it feels like! Nobody knows what it feels like!"

Ruka didn't know what to say.

"Nonoko has her chemicals. Hotaru has her inventions. Natsume has his fire. Mikan has her Nullification and her Alice Stones…which brings up another thing! I'm not compatible with any other Alices! Nothing! You have your animals and whatever other Alices Mikan could put in you while I stand here in the stupid kitchen making sandwiches for people! I'm like your stereotypical housewife that can do nothing more than provide food and I…the stupid electricity goes out and I can't do a thing! …can't do anything…even if I tried…it's so…I…"

"Anna," Ruka cleared his throat, "Everyone is trying their best. We know you're trying your best and goddamn, we love your food. Don't think that you're not making a difference, because you ar–"

He was interrupted by the creak of the door.

With a roar, a contraption in the shape of an elephant came barging into the room and tied to its back was a portable oven.

Ruka almost smiled.

_Trust Imai to come to save the day._

She was bathed in light, almost like an angel in contrast with the darkness of the building. Ruka saw Anna jump to her feet and set to work immediately once the oven was pushed into the room. She mumbled and cursed low under her breath, but Anna stirred with renewed vigor. There was a glint of purpose in her eyes he hadn't noticed on his previous visits.

Ruka pushed himself off the counter and walked over to Hotaru who watched atop her elephant with expressionless eyes. "You have a portable oven."

She shrugged. "Never know when it will come in handy."

"You knew she would freak out without one."

"I know she needs a purpose. Everybody needs a purpose."

Ruka paused and watched as Hotaru turned to look at him with a raised brow. "Spit it out, Nogi. I know that peculiarly small brain of yours is bursting with questions."

He merely shook his head, looked back at Anna–hard at work–and smiled. "You're a lot nicer than you make people believe."

Hotaru scoffed at him. "You're disgusting."

The mechanical elephant swiped a scone off the tray and Hotaru took a bite. "It's simple: I like my food."

He turned just in time to see Anna's small smile.

* * *

_Random, I'm aware but I like Anna. Hah, get it. Anna? Because I'm…yeah, never mind. But think about it._


	37. Never Strangers

**Title: **Never Strangers  
**Prompt:** #11 – oxygen  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Friendship  
**Dedication: **To Natsume and everybody who shares his birthday [mishaa].  
**Warning: **Compatible with Chapter 139 of the Gakuen Alice manga so this is my interpretation of what will happen afterward. Very squinty spoilers.  
**Author's Note: **I really debated whether or not to make this a stand alone oneshot, but decided to just stick it in here. Only thirteen (ew, prime number) left before this is done! :)

-;-

-;-

There is a certain way to go about these kinds of things, but he isn't learned in any of them.

It would have been easier if she was a stranger, but she isn't, nor will she ever be. It is impossible for them to be strangers, he thinks. They have known each other for years now, but so many years have gone by that she could have changed into a batty, stuck-up know-it-all and he would never catch the difference.

He could pick her out of a crowd with the ease of sliding a knife through butter.

He likes the way she moves, he decides, shortly after she enters the room to a boisterous clatter of cheers.

Everybody used to think she was clumsy, but he knew better. They only thought she was so clumsy because he was always around to trip her flat on her face. But now, he can't help but think there will be no doubts in their mind—she is Grace. Her shoulders are slim in the grey T-shirt she wears but his eyes see the strong lines between her neck and arms; he sees the length of power that extends the line of her straight back. The tiny slip of her clavicles peek from the neck of her shirt and his eyes quickly fall to her hands before they can linger anywhere inappropriate.

From where he stands, her hands are small and fragile, just like he remembers them to be.

They clench and unclench, whether from nerves or out of some other habit, he can't say for certain. The movements bring him back to a time when those small hands gripped his in restless distress. For a moment, he remembers the warmth of her hand in his, the way every space between their fingers and every wrinkle of their palms fit together in perfect symmetry, like sand filling the spaces between rocks, and the anxious brown eyes that searched his for security and friendship.

From her hands, his eyes move to her waist. Her shirt does nothing for her figure, a fact that he lingers on for just a moment. It is loose as it flutters against her stomach with every small movement she makes and briefly he wonders how much she has changed under there. He hadn't lied when he'd said there were merely flatlands there, when they were ten. She'd clapped him over the head enough times because of it, but he was older now—wiser. The shirt she wears may not do much for her stomach, but he can see the slightest trace of _something _that has replaced her flatlands.

The nudge against his shoulder breaks him from any further exploration and the familiar voice of his best friend breaks through the haze of his thoughts. "She's definitely changed, huh? She's beautiful," Ruka says tightly, without preamble. He doesn't need to elaborate. They both know who he is referring to. Ruka shifts and briefly, he turns to look at the nervous blue-eyed face of his childhood friend. A nervous smile touches his lips, "I mean, I've seen her around, but because of that disgusting principal, it's not like we had the chance for pleasantries. I… I miss her. You know you do too, Natsume."

A tiny voice in his mind seems to pipe up and say, _Miss her? Pfft! You probably don't even know her anymore!_

Out loud, he says, "She's always looked like that."

_Beautiful_.

Ruka looks at him with a small, knowing smile. "We should go say _hi _don't you think?"

He wants to.

God, he wants to, but his feet won't budge and he just isn't ready. "She's with Imai. Give them their moment," he says instead.

Ruka pauses to regard him curiously before they both lapse back into silence.

Vaguely, he hears the faint buzz of activity swirling all around them like a murky haze in the deepest corners of his mind, but all he can see and hear is her. She's still all bright smiles and warmth and he wonders how he could have thought she would be any different.

Despite six years, she sweeps into the room with nothing holding her back, and the only thought that flashes continually in his mind is the fact that she is Mikan.

She would always be Mikan.

He watches as both of her senpais pick her up in their arms and throw her up in the air like she's the lightest thing on Earth. His eyes never leave her as she throws her head back with a delightful laugh that reminds him of cherry blossoms, Howalon and his favorite _Naruto _manga.

The next few moments pass in a haze of flashes. Her feet touch the ground. She sweeps around to light the room up with her smile. She replies quickly to an inquiry. But she's always looking, always searching, eyes wandering until her fluid body stills and her eyes finally meet his.

He sees the words he's had on the tip of his tongue for years in her eyes:

_I need you. _

_You're finally here._

_I've missed you._

_I've _missed _you._

She takes a step toward him, but the crowd envelops her in its arms and she disappears from view for a long instant that makes his breath catch in his throat.

His eyes cloud over with the brief second of intensity her eyes seem to ignite in him.

There is a rough clap to his shoulder and he snaps a glare at the offender, not surprised in the least when Koko's twinkling brown eyes grin up at him. He steps back defensively, "Hey, hey, don't glare at me like that. I come bearing gifts!" He gestures at three wine glasses. "You look like you need it, Natsume. This may not be strong, but liquid courage seems like just what you need."

He nods in acceptance and absentmindedly, he takes a sip.

He wonders if this is normal, this attachment he has to her. It shouldn't be like this. It's strange. They aren't eleven any longer; they are seventeen. _She_ is, at least, but… He pauses; for a second, it surprises him to realize, _it's my birthday tomorrow. _

Just under six years has gone by since they've said more than ten words to each other. Since the Elementary School Principal's ultimatum on the day of her mother's death, she'd been whisked away into captivity. He remembered grappling at any and every piece of information he could get about her.

He'd heard many things.

She stayed by the Principal's side and protected him with her Nullification. Occasionally, there were mentions of her activity on missions, though nobody in the Dangerous Ability class ever talked. With increased activity with the AAO, he'd even caught glimpses of her extending her aid in the form of her Nullification.

Other than that, there was nothing.

Nothing but vain attempts to see how she was doing, to talk to her, to send her messages, to set her free. Oh, how many times had they tried to set her free? He remembered frantic voices over wireless communication, Ruka's eagles, Imai's plethora of inventions and still, it was useless. If not because of the Principal's armed guards, then it was Mikan's stubborn sense of gallantry.

_I need to keep my word. For the Academy._

But the Elementary School Principal was gone for good, him and all of his clones.

As far as Natsume is concerned, they would never have to part again.

-;-

There is a certain way to go about these kinds of things, but he isn't learned in any of them.

It would have been easier if she was a stranger, but she isn't, nor will she ever be. So how is he supposed to greet her when the time comes? She is making her way around the room, slowly drawing closer to where he stands. Normally, the crowd of her admirers would be unwanted, but he realizes they haven't seen her for as long as he hasn't. That, and he still needs time to collect himself.

He hadn't realized they would meet so suddenly.

The battle had been impromptu, unexpected, disorganized and highly successful. He hadn't heard much about what happened behind the scenes, but he'd been front row center for the battle by the front gates. Despite Alices and the ear shattering blasts of military-made weapons, he remembered frantically thinking about her.

The Academy was still standing, though the Middle school building was all but in ruins. When he thought about it, it surprised him to find that nobody had been too severely injured. The Principal had been the only loss and his cronies were merely taken into custody.

The party thrown together haphazardly to celebrate was last minute, which explained why everybody merely had a clean change of clothes on and visible lines of fatigue on their faces around the room.

It also explained why his body was practically crackling with anxiety.

As if she can hear his thoughts, Mikan breaks away from the crowd. Her eyes catch his and she takes all of two tentative steps toward him before her lips break out into a familiar grin that makes her whole being light up. She doesn't seem to notice the people trying to grasp for her attention as she makes her way over and if she does, she does a good job pretending not to. He doesn't care, because the anxious beat of his heart seems to quiver and say, _why were you so nervous? It's just Mikan._

Instead of _I missed you_ or _I love you_ or _Hi _like his thoughts keep telling him to say, the minute she walks up to him and tentatively pulls him into a hug, he wraps one arm around her and says easily, naturally, "Polka Dots."

Her reaction is a soft snort, "Jerk."

She pulls away in time to give Ruka and Koko matching hugs but the minute she's answered their eager questions, she turns to him and sends him that charming, shy smile of hers. She hasn't changed out of her battle gear. Her black pants are smeared with soot and lines of dirt as they hug her legs and she wears her customary, lightweight Academy boots, the ones that are given to every Dangerous Ability student.

Something brief tugs at his arteries.

In what he can only dub as nerves, she stumbles over her own feet and the impact of her head into his chest startles him only slightly. Later he will understand it as Hotaru Imai's way to _put __him out of his misery_ by tripping her own best friend.

His lips quirk up. "You're _still _falling for me?"

Her neck snaps up and her lips twist in a wry smile. "And _you're _still full of it? I suppose old habits _do _die hard. You're still the same arrogant jerk as always."

He's ready to make another witty rebuttal before Ruka cuts in abruptly. "You guys haven't seen each other in _years _and you're already back to arguing like a pair of ten year old kids? _Unbelievable_! Just unbelievable! Especially you!" Ruka pins him down with twin blue eyes. "What's wrong with you? You were practically dying without her and now you're going to play that stupid _who-will-confess-first _game? You guys are so—I can't believe this! Why am I even friends with you? You're an idiot! You're jus—"

"I think you've had a little too much to drink," Koko laughs, pushing Ruka away by his shoulders. He winks over his shoulder. "You two enjoy yourselves. Heh."

When the both of them disappear, he looks back at her in time to see her grin and shake her head. It takes a moment for him to realize he's still holding her by the arms. Casually, he lets his arms drop. "What happened to the pigtails?"

Her eyes are curious as she plays with the plait of hair that rests messy and so _Mikan _on her shoulder. "They got a little difficult to manage when I was working." She chuckles, eyes laughing. "You can't say you actually expected me to keep them for all these years, can you? You used to say they were childish."

Before he can stop himself, he lifts the plait from her hand and weighs it thoughtfully. Her eyes are wide and naive. He smirks at her reaction. "Well, it would be more appropriate to have pigtails, since your body still hasn't developed much over the years. Are those flatlands I still see? I—"

She gasps with indignation and crosses an arm over her chest before she whacks him none too gently on the head. "That was _so _unnecessary! Ugh, you're insufferable! I can't believe you're still going on abou—wait." A grin forms slowly on her lips. "Were…Were you checking me out? Hah! Hotaru was right! I really shouldn't be surprised. She's brilliant, but really—"

"I was_ not _checking you out. Your flatlands are glaringly obvious and nothing to be proud of."

"Oh, because you're just the _greatest _catch in comparison aren't you?" Her reply is scathing. Her brown eyes seem to spark with heat. "Get it through your thick skull, you Neanderthal, despite your fangirl population, you're _not _that great! And despite how I was five years ago, I'm not _that _stupid anymore."

"…So you _do _know you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. That's an improvement. Well done."

She grinds her teeth. "You're…you…I can't believe…ugghh! I need a drink." She grabs his drink and takes a deep swig before she glares at him over the rim. "I hate that you're so calm right now. And that you're still so quick to make fun of me. It's like nothing's changed at all and it's been _five _years—"

"Six."

She blinks in surprise before he can see her mentally ticking off the years in her head. "Five and three quarters, really," she says eventually, almost smugly.

"You were always bad at math, Polka Dots. You're always supposed to round up."

She scowls at him for a beat before she looks up into his eyes and bites her lip with uncertainty. The movement is distracting and she grins slyly. Quietly, she starts singing, so softly he can barely make out the words, "Happy birthday to you…"

Her voice gains volume and soon those directly around them pick up the beat. "Happy birthday to you—"

The song is painfully embarrassing and he feels the heat on the back of his neck rise.

The grin on her face is smug and affectionate, always affectionate, and despite the other birthday wishers, he can't take his eyes off her. He never could. Her smile is soft, "Happy birthday, dear Natsume, happy birthday to you!"

The crowd is immediately upon him, slapping him on the back and passing him glasses of wine that he politely gives to the closest person behind him. He almost panics when she grins and mouths a handful of words over the jubilant celebratory cries. He makes out only three words: meet me later. The where is lost to him because she disappears in all of her sweet smiles and brown haired glory.

After humoring the well wishers for what seems like five hours, the scowl appears on his lips against his previous restraint and he just wants to spark one of the sprinklers to go off to put an end to his misery. Koko effectively diverts everybody's attention by dragging a red-faced Ruka onto the closest table with him in order to sing a painful rendition of some song Natsume doesn't care enough to puzzle out.

Thoughts of 'where' prove fruitless when his feet take him instinctively from the empty Sakura tree to the roof of the Elementary school. The door clatters behind him and she's standing by the fence with her arms looking out over the school. It brings him back to their meetings on the roof, brief as they were, all those years ago. She turns slowly and she looks like she's stepped out from one of his dreams.

It is just them—Mikan and Natsume.

There are no crowd of friends, classmates and teachers, just them.

She is bathed in budding moonlight. Her eyes find his and he is infinitely aware of the lump in his throat. Then her bottom lip quivers and she's running for all she's worth in his direction. He has just enough time to get his bearings before she collides into his arms with a force that makes him stagger… in more ways than one.

"Natsume."

The one word is enough to knock the weight off of his chest.

He doesn't realize he's been holding his breath for years until she's there, _right there,_ and he can breathe out a satisfied sigh of relief.

She pulls away, just briefly, but stands close. She smiles a shy smile his way before she unbuttons the top button of her shirt. The snarky comment, "You're taking your clothes off _here?_" dies in his throat when she reveals a worn out pouch from around her neck.

When he looks inside, he glimpses Alice stones, _her _Alice stones. Six of them, to be precise. And it takes him a second to recall all of those Alice legends about fate and love and the familiar, strange girl before his eyes before he catches a kiss on his cheek and soft words from the girl he loves, "Happy birthday, stupid pervert. I've missed you."


	38. Wedding Dreams and Bedding Seams II

**Title: **Wedding Dreams and Bedding Seams [_part two_]  
**Prompt:** #45 – fence  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Friendship  
**Dedication: **For the readers that don't want to kill me for the lack of updates and, of course, the readers that do. :)**  
**

-;-

-;-

When she was a young girl, Mikan dreamed about the perfect, beautiful white wedding.

But when she thought back to it, it was only to muse about the contrast between the wedding she had always fantasized about and the wedding she was going to have tonight.

Alice Academy was in the middle of a war, half of her family had perished, night had swept the grounds in a haunted ombre of grief and the clouds had looked ominous all day.

…But she couldn't wait any longer to marry him.

Four days had passed since Natsume proposed and while having a wedding during a _war _wasn't the most ideal of times, everybody seemed to jump at the chance for a distraction. Mikan would have been okay with a few close friends, dressed in her Academy uniform with a minister to make it official… and though Natsume seemed to agree, there was no arguing. Narumi-sensei, Koko and Misaki had all but taken the reigns and put it on themselves to plan something special.

She thought they were ridiculous…that crazy family of hers.

But she loved them, and they needed this. She would do whatever she could.

She breathed in the crisp December air before she felt him. It was like she was highly attuned to his presence…it was like a frisson of electricity that parted the particles of air between them. It made her shoulders relax and it surprised her; she hadn't noticed the tension in her body until she felt the quiet warmth that emanated from Natsume's body. He was always so warm and strong. She wondered why he never believed her when she told him he was beautiful.

He knew better than to argue though, but when those moments arose, he would scoff or shrug before turning away, almost wistfully, with a somber look to his eyes.

She felt his fingers brush her hand before it tugged lightly on her pinky.

She smiled before turning her head. "Hello, Mr. Hyuuga." Her gaze dropped to take in his black, fitted tux and the sorry attempt to tame his hair before a wide grin split her lips. "You look good."

"Why do you look so surprised?" his voice was gruff and soft.

"Cocky as always," she snorted.

He looked thoughtful, Mikan thought, but serene. Despite being on high alert all day, Natsume had been quieter than usual, but not in a morose way. Quietly, she brushed his bangs back fruitlessly and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Getting cold feet, Mr. Hyuuga?" she whispered.

A grin, so boyish and young, stole across his lips. "Never with you, Mrs. Hyuuga."

She took his wrist and grabbed his pinky with her fist. "Then let's get you married."

-;-

Their Sakura tree had suffered.

Everything about that tree—their tree—reflected Gakuen Alice.

It used to be everything.

It was a shelter; it was sturdy and reliable. It spoke of their dreams and was a reminder of their past. It had always been beautiful, covered in rich pink petals and life.

But now its branches were cracked and dangling with only tufts of withered pink scattered sparsely over twigs. Large chunks and craters ate away at the trunk and the once healthy brown hues coloring the entirety were charred with soot black.

This was not home.

This was not _right. _

This was not how it was meant to be.

Natsume squeezed her hand as if he'd read her mind. "We can still save it," Natsume murmured quietly.

He sounded so sure. So very Natsume.

"I don't think it will be the same, Natsume." She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, feeling the rancid odor of gunpowder and destruction make fierce warnings in her brain. She could see Hotaru behind her closed eyelids and the image made her heart clench so hard, it made her breath catch in her throat. "It will never be the same."

He seemed to pause before she felt infinitely warm arms wrap around her middle and the smell of Natsume—like pine and musk and warm fireplaces—engulf all of her senses. She wanted to forget the last few months. She wanted to forget all of those she lost. She wanted to forget the task of burying all of those people.

But she wouldn't.

She couldn't.

She would not let herself forget.

They deserved that much.

_She _deserved that much.

_Hotaru._

"Mikan." His voice was concerned, rusty. Vaguely, she thought he might have been calling her name for a while. With sluggish effort, Mikan lifted her head and blinked sadly up into his gaze. The tense lines around his eyes softened before he said her name again.

A throat cleared from behind them and they both turned, knowing and expecting the unfamiliar blue eyes that met them. Ruka's lips twitched in what he wished were a true smile of genuine happiness. But though his hair was immaculate blond and though his suit was as stunning as his form, there was too much sadness in his shoulders and in the line of his eyebrows. His eyes were unfamiliar blues of grief.

"You're late," he chuckled, just a tenth of his usual, "As usual, Natsume. To be expected… but for your own wedding?"

"Ruka." Mikan took one step closer to him and he smiled before taking the two steps toward her. She wrapped her arms around him, desperately, knowing he knew just how hard it was to lose her. _Hotaru_… _Oh Ruka, what will we do?_

He pulled back and placed his hands on her shoulders, grinning almost like he used to. He tugged on an imperfect curl, straying from the half ponytail Anna had tucked it in, and gazed at her appraisingly, almost like he was picturing somebody else. "You're beautiful, Mikan. Congratulations. Natsume's a lucky, lucky man."

She could feel him behind her before she felt the brush of his fingers along her waist. He clapped Ruka on the back and spoke in low whispers, and yet, all she could think about was that when she was little, she'd wished Hotaru was her husband, wearing a matching wedding gown with all four of their parents taking front row seats at that beautiful church in Nagoya.

She snorted a chuckle, ignoring two pairs of inquiring eyes. _No wonder Hotaru got so angry when I asked her to be my husband._

"Ready, Mrs. Hyuuga?" Natsume asked quietly, a happy lilt to his voice.

Mikan closed her eyes and smiled, slightly, when she felt his lips press softly against her forehead. "To make you mine, Mr. Hyuuga? I was born ready."

-;-

There was no setting sun or sunshine.

It was impractical.

When night fell, the war was put on hold.

The sky was a black canvas without stars, but the string of lanterns along the branches of the hill was enough to light the intimate gathering of Alices.

They were doing things completely wrong, Mikan was aware, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She didn't have a father to walk her down the aisle. She didn't have a beautiful church. She didn't have her best friend. She didn't have either of her parents sitting at the front row. She didn't have half the people she'd always dreamed about inviting. She didn't have anything she'd dreamed about, really.

But she had Ruka and Anna and Koko and Sumire. She had Noda-sensei and Uncle Kazu. She had Shiki and Narumi-sensei and Youichi and Misaki…

And she had Natsume, the imperfect husband she thought she might have always wanted.

They were late for their own wedding, but their friends didn't seem to mind. Shiki was somber. Uncle Kazu was smiling a nostalgic, distracted smile. Koko and Sumire were beaming… and all she wanted to do was laugh out loud. It was just all so backwards, she thought, as Natsume walked her slowly up the hill—but they were Mikan and Natsume… nothing ever went according to plan when it came to them.

Natsume squeezed her hand and looking quickly at him, she wondered, _Ji-chan, do you see how safe I am with him? You'd like him, I think. He's rough around the edges, but he's just right. In that way, he's just like you._

With his head tilted down, Natsume turned, without looking at her, and said, "You'll finally be mine." Smirking slightly, he turned expectedly toward the officiator. This time, she saw his profile, and Mikan thought swiftly, _Hotaru, did all of your secret smiles mean you knew this would happen? I wish you were up here with me. You'll always be my best friend._

Clearing his throat, Jinno-sensei broke in gruffly, "Love is something we tend to forget during a war…"

Mikan didn't really listen.

She could barely tear her eyes away from this man, her soon-to-be husband, her Natsume…oh how far they'd come. He used to be so troubled, so reckless and so weary…his eyes briefly met hers and she couldn't help the automatic smile that threatened to split half of her face. _Father, I think you would like him. Are you watching me get married? Did you dream about this as much as I did?_

"Do you, Hyuuga Natsume, take Sakura Mikan to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold—"

_Tsubasa-senpai, you're not going crazy up there, are you? Natsume's not as perverted as you think… Are the angels up there all falling for Tono-senpai?_

"I do," Natsume's voice was distinct, certain.

"And do you, Sakura Mikan, take—"

"I do!"

The small crowd chuckled, even Jinno, when Sumire snorted, "_Somebody's _eager!"

_Mother, do you think we're moving too fast?_

"With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

With a whoop and loud applause for such a small group, Mikan turned expectantly and smiled up at bright red eyes, "Don't you have to kiss me, Mr. Hyuuga?"

Without a word, he took her lips to another loud cheer and Mikan's last thoughts were silenced:

_Please let me be happy._

**fin**

* * *

**UHM. **I'm so sorry for the long wait! -_-  
Check out my profile to participate in the wonderful bienenstich and NatsukoSakura's fanfic contest. They're super legit; they work on the Gakuen Alice section of Mangafox!  
I don't know about you guys, but that site is where I always run to for my GA fix. ;]  
Happy New Year!


	39. Thursdays

**Title: **Thursdays  
**Prompt:** #37 – fishy  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance  
**Dedication: **For May Madness and unforgiving exam schedules :)**  
**

-;-

-;-

Natsume looks forward to Thursdays.

He's known it for a while, but it's a secret he keeps to himself. It doesn't quite make sense, not really anyways. He's not even certain he prefers it over any other day. It would make more sense to anticipate Friday, because it's the only day of the week that he doesn't have work. Or to prefer Mondays, because the second Monday of every month he has dinner with his little sister. Or even the weekend, when he and Ruka spend their nights watching sports or going to bars.

But it's Thursdays that he looks forward to.

There is no reason or rhyme. It's Thursday, just Thursday.

Thursdays, Natsume wakes up at 6am in the morning to eat breakfast, goes over his documents and makes it to the office by 7am. He doesn't actually work until 8:30am, but his punctuality is paramount and he prefers going to the office early when there aren't any leggy secretaries to bar the path to his office. Quarter after noon, Natsume takes his lunch at the restaurant two blocks from his office where he carefully peruses the lunch specials before ordering the usual. At half past one, Natsume comes back to work and stays at the office for 4.5 hours before returning home to a quiet dinner. He goes to bed at approximately eleven o'clock.

This Thursday is no different than any other Thursday.

The quiet of the office is a welcome sound and Hayate Matsudaira, the obnoxiously dim-witted security guard that works Thursdays, is sitting attentively at his post just within the doors. He smiles widely and shouts, "Good morning, Mr. Hyuuga, sir!" Natsume nods curtly, knowing that once he's walked through the doors and turns the corner, Matsudaira will slump over his desk and resume his customary chin-in-hand position.

The elevator is swift as it takes him to the sixteenth floor. As always, the office smells of fresh pine and musky cleaning product.

At 8:46am, Koizumi knocks arrogantly on his door and lets herself in before he can tell her to go elsewhere. "Have you seen the mergers I put on your desk?" she says without preamble. "You have to read and sign them before you go today so I can—."

Koizumi is arrogant and obnoxious. _If she wasn't decent at her job…_ Natsume ignores the smirk on her lips and proceeds to run his eyes through his documents. "I'm aware of the process, Koizumi," he interrupts.

"Okay, sheeesh! You're always so short with that temper of yours," she says airily, turning her back with a swish of her long hair. "See you at lunch!"

Natsume briefly feels his heart seize before he hears the door to his office close and his thoughts return to his work.

Five after noon, Natsume shuffles his documents into a folder and places them in his bottom drawer before he slips his jacket over his shoulders. He usually drives to lunch, but on Thursdays, he takes his time to walk to the restaurant. The hostess smiles at him and ushers him to his usual seat. He is a usual on Thursday lunches, and his corner table is always reserved. She hands him the lunch specials, just to humour him, he thinks, and he orders the usual of fish, rice and vegetables with what will be a glass of wine.

No more than four minutes later, he looks up expectantly and waits. It doesn't take her long to come flouncing in with her hair in a long plait down her shoulder and a smile on her face. Koizumi follows with another woman by her side, and when both women aren't looking, Koizumi glances his way with an insolent smirk and a little wave.

He scowls and waits for them to disappear from view before he takes a sip of the wine the hostess immediately puts before him. It's a silent lunch where he eats half of his fish but clears off the rest of his plate and when his watch reads one o'clock, Natsume's eyes gaze back toward the door and waits for the three ladies to leave. They never leave promptly at one o'clock, but there is always a frame of approximately five minutes. Today, they leave at 1:04pm and he waits a few seconds before paying his bill and walking slowly out of the shop.

What he doesn't expect is for the brown-haired girl to come barrelling back into the restaurant and right into his chest until they both topple over onto the ground, nudging the hostess who pushes a server who proceeds to spill a tray of two soups, one salad and a plate of rice balls onto the once pristine floor.

The only thought that comes to mind is that she is very warm and very small.

"I'm so sorry! Oh God, are you all right?" she helps him onto his feet and he is faintly aware of the soreness of his ass before she takes one of his hands into both of hers and asks once again if he's all right. When he replies in the affirmative, she rushes to help the server pick up the silverware.

Natsume sighs and taps at her elbow and watches as her bright brown eyes flash up to meet his. "They can handle that. It's fine. Stop apologizing." Because she really does apologize incessantly. Once is enough, but she doesn't seem to understand that. Guilt and embarrassment flood her cheeks and Natsume nods toward the hostess and tells her to put the damage onto his tab. It's not like he can't afford it anyway and the girl looks like she's about to faint with mortification.

As he leads her out of the restaurant, she stiffens, "I forgot my bag. That's why I went back in to get it."

As if on cue, the hostess comes back and hands the little brown bag to him. Why she gives it to him, Natsume will never understand, but he promptly hands it to the brunette who rocks on her feet and mutters a quick 'thank you'.

When the both of them duck out of the restaurant, Koizumi has a smirk on her face that is identical to the one on the other woman. Natsume briefly takes note of the violet of her eyes before he looks back down at the brown-haired girl. "You should be more careful next time," he says conversationally.

The girl reddens and is instantly defensive. "I didn't mean to run you over! I promise!"

Koizumi steps in, still with that infuriating look on her face. "Don't waste your breath, Mikan. This is my stuffy boss, Natsume Hyuuga. Boss, these are my friends Mikan Sakura and Hotaru Imai."

_Mikan Sakura_.

Natsume nods in greeting and makes to leave but Koizumi's annoying voice simpers, "You know, he eats here every Thursday too."

"Really?" Mikan exclaims like it's the biggest surprise in the world. "Why haven't you invited him to lunch with us before?" she inquires without really looking for an answer. She turns to him with a wide, hopeful smile on her face and asks, "Do you want to have lunch with us next Thursday? It doesn't have to be a weekly thing if you don't want it to be, but it would be nice!"

Vaguely, briefly, Natsume wonders if having lunch with them will put him off his strict schedule, but decides—when he catches her gaze once more—that he doesn't really give a damn. He inclines his head: "Next Thursday, then."

She smiles at him before Imai and her leave.

On the walk back to the office, Koizumi giggles a bit and shoves him in the arm. "You owe me big time for that one, Boss."

"I don't know what you mean."

She rolls her eyes. "Like I couldn't tell you had a little bit of a thing for her after you made it a point to have lunch there every Thursday for almost seven months. Just admit you might have a tiny crush on Mikan and I won't ask you for a raise for another couple weeks."

Natsume gives her a deadpan look and pointedly picks up his pace. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I do," Koizumi says confidently, walking backwards on very pointy and very high shoes. "You just agreed to have lunch with _me _and two other women despite the fact that it has nothing to do with business." She raises an eyebrow at him and smirks victoriously. "That would _never _happen in a million years unless you had ulterior motives because you're nothing but a freak with a mild case of OCD. Admit it. I win."

"You're annoying."

Koizumi huffs, "Like you wouldn't die for a chance to talk to her alone."

"Dying would be rather counter-intuitive," he mutters blandly, entering the company building. "One more word, Koizumi, and you're fired."

"Uh huh," she's not afraid in the least. "Come next week, you'll want to give me a raise without me even needing to ask."

_Not bloody likely_, Natsume snorts.

…until he enters the restaurant the week after to find Mikan Sakura sitting alone in _his _usual seat wearing a simple red dress and a wide, shy smile.

* * *

**Q: Do you prefer Luna as a friend or foe?**


	40. Panty Dropping Smile

**Title: **Panty Dropping Smiles  
**Prompt:** #16 – paint  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Friendship  
**Dedication: **This is for my readers. :) This is the epilogue to **Shaken, Not Stirred** so perhaps read that first? Enjoy!**  
**

-;-

-;-

**Shaken, Not Stirred Epilogue**

**Dedication:  
**_Romantically Loveless_

_-;-_

**Five days later…**

Natsume Hyuuga is good.

I'll give him that…not that he doesn't already know it.

Despite the fail of a date when I'd gotten sick, he managed to pull off one of the best dates I've ever had. Instead of dinner and a movie or an amusement park and ice cream, he took me paint balling. _Paint balling. _After driving me to the arena on his _motorcycle. _I almost peed myself. And despite the fact that I'm a bit bruised and I have paint in my hair, I would do it again in a second.

Natsume's such a sore loser.

"Here's your dog," Natsume grumbles, handing me a hotdog from the hotdog vendor. "I can't believe you don't put ketchup on your dog. That's weird."

"What's weird is how badly you suck at paintball," I gloat, taking a bite and raising an eyebrow at him. "Oh, don't scowl. You put up a good fight. It just wasn't good enough."

He narrows his eyes and takes a seat on the picnic table in the park close by. He looks around the park lazily and finishes his hotdog in record speed and raises an eyebrow to indicate he's waiting for me. "Not only are you loud, but you're slow too," he comments dryly, getting to his feet and wandering off.

I pop the rest of my hotdog in my mouth before begrudgingly following. "Don't be such a crab. I know your ego is a little wounded but I can kiss it better if you want me to." He flashes a dark look over his shoulder and I reply with a wide grin. "Don't think I don't remember you kissing up here when it was aching the other day," I say, tapping my forehead lightly.

He grumbles a bit under his breath and I laugh, reaching down to grab his open hand. "Which reminds me," I start lightly, tugging him around to face me. "Thank you for coming by with soup and that terrible movie." I can feel the blush inching up my cheeks but I look him in the eyes anyway. Even when he starts smirking at me. "And for keeping me warm. And for staying with me until I woke up. And for keeping the nightmares away."

"So you _do _remember that," Natsume says casually, as if he didn't expect me to. "Do you remember drooling on my shirt too?"

"I did _not_!"

He starts us walking again with my hand still tucked into his bigger one. "It's either you drooled on me or you spat on me. Either way, your saliva got onto my shirt," his tone is dry and unamused. "By the way, you snore."

"I—I only snore when I'm sick!" I rush to explain. "And it's not like you're Mr. Perfect either. I distinctly remember you gloating about the potency of your smile or some stupid shit like that."

"It can get me whatever I want," he says in his most serious voice.

"I don't believe it."

He stops for a second and looks at me dubiously. "I don't think you can handle it." He shrugs and starts walking again. "I really don't want you getting hurt by it."

I can't believe him. "Are you serious? You're on crack. Lay it on me, I can handle it."

He stops and turns slowly, looking very serious. I'm immediately hyper aware of the warmth of his hand in mine when he says, "Are you sure?"

Steeling myself, I swallow and nod. "Yeah, I really doubt you can actuall—"

He drops my hand and looks down, then slowly—so slowly—his eyes flutter open and he's looking at me from under his eyelashes, revealing smoldering red eyes that make my heart race from under my ribcage. Shadows appear on his cheeks as his lips tug upwards to accentuate his defined cheekbones and his jaw is rock solid and I think I want to lick him. But his lips…holy shit. They part slowly in a sly grin. And I think I see a dimple.

_Fuck. _

I swallow tightly. "Uhm…okay wow, that's uhm…" I exhale sharply. "Impressive. I think I have to sit down."

He smirks and grabs a hold of my elbow when I sway. "Told you," he says as if he didn't just make my knees weak. "It's getting late. I have to get you home before your old man shoots me." He looks down at me and holds out a hand, which I take and then he's walking with me with a smug look on his face.

"How did you do that?" I ask curiously, my head a little fuzzy with the after effects of his smile. "I mean, you don't just know how to smile like that without some practice. That would just be unfair if you got genes that give you a killer smile. I bet you stood in front of the mirror for hours perfecting that… which makes you beyond narcissistic."

"Polka Dots?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

* * *

_Go to my profile and check out what exactly May Madness is and participate, participate, participate! Whoop whoop!  
_


	41. Pocky Wars

**Title: **Pocky Wars  
**Prompt:** #49 – chocolate  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Humor  
**Dedication: **For **May Madness** and Romantically Loveless. Your stupid Pocky challenge is completed. Boo-yah! :)**  
**

-;-

-;-

"You're so ignorant!"

It takes a long moment for the five companions to register what they hear and for them to whip around to stare openly at the couple at the other end of the cafeteria table. This loud exclamation should not have been surprising coming from Natsume and Mikan. Their relationship was renowned for the petty arguments and the red hot sexual tension from their favorite fire manipulator, after all. What _was _surprising was the fact that it came from Mikan. Nobody ever called Natsume ignorant unless it was Hotaru Imai.

"Keep your voice down, Polka Dots," Natsume drawls, noticing the stares pointed their way. "Nobody wants to become deaf because you can't keep your temper in check."

Mikan's jaw drops and the irony is not lost on anyone. After a second, she pounds the tabletop and points a finger at him. "You should talk! I'm not the one that randomly uses his Alice for no good reason but to burn something because he's angry!"

"I'm sure you've used your Nullification to damage a desk or two."

There's a loud snort and a chuckle from the spectators but Mikan merely looks like a woman possessed. "That doesn't make sense, but that's beside the point! You always think you're so high and mighty but you and your smart mouth are full of shit!"

The crowd winces.

"Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?" Natsume raises an eyebrow. Then he picks up the manga in his lap and opens it up on the table and proceeds to read.

The audience holds its breath.

Mikan inhales sharply. "That's it," she stands up, sounding like she's never been so offended. "You're coming with me. Right now. I can't stand by and watch you be a judgmental little _wart_. You're such a prejudice—"

He lifts his head and narrows his eyes before stating calmly, "Polka Dots, strawberry Pocky is fucking nasty." There's an audible gasp that he ignores. "There's no argument. Pocky itself is a questionable snack on its own. Now stop overreacting and sit down."

Brown eyes blaze. "You've never even tried it so you can't possibly judg—"

"I tried it when you sat on me and shoved it down my throat," Natsume drawls, flicking her fingers away from his manga. "If you say you don't remember that, I will burn every one of your little ribbons so you can't put your hair up in those ridiculous little pigtails."

Mikan's brown hair crackles with electricity. "I will nullify your brains out before you can touch my ribbons! And that may have happened but you couldn't possibly have tasted them effectively when you were struggling so much! You and I are going to Central Town to buy some Pocky and you _will _try the strawberry flavored ones and you _will _like it."

His expression is not amused. "Polka Dots, no."

"You're just scared you're going to like it."

"Hardly," Natsume snorts.

Grasping at straws, she shakes her head and her eyes widen innocently. "I just don't see how you can't like the strawberry ones! They taste like happiness and rainbows a—"

"That strawberry shit tastes like plastic," Natsume deadpans abruptly. "Chocolate Pocky is better."

"Chocolate Pocky tastes good but it's not _better_," she states firmly, pursing her lips stubbornly. "Let's take a vote then!" she declares, looking around the cafeteria to see that a group of students have convened around their table. "We'll discuss the merits of both flavors and later take a vote." She turns to Natsume and stares at him haughtily. "Are you in Hyuuga?"

All eyes whip to the fire caster who contemplates for one second before responding, "Fine."

"Here are your products," Hotaru pops up from the head of the table, sliding a package of strawberry, then chocolate Pocky across to the contenders. "Whoever receives the most support from this crowd wins. The winner will receive a week's worth of the Pocky of their choice."

"Hey!"

Hotaru turns velvet eyes onto her best friend. "You go first, meathead."

Smiling, Mikan steps forward and grabs the pink package and presents it to the crowd like Vanna White. "This, my dear friends, is _STRAWBERRY FLAVORED Pocky! _Biscuit sticks coated with a delicious layer of strawberry that melts on your tongue. Does your girlfriend smell like strawberries? Do you _like _the smell of strawberries? Imagine the _taste_!" Several male students nod. Emboldened, Mikan continues, "Do you need another helping of fruit in your diet? Do you tend to avoid fruits? Well fear not! _STRAWBERRY POCKY. _It's a helping of strawberry in a delicious snack! It's convenient enough to fit in your pocket and tasty enough to quench your hunger for sweets! It's a little taste of heaven and a fat taste of strawberry! Buy now for only five rabbits!"

Before the crowd could get into their applause, Hotaru clears her throat. "Due to the use of a lie, contender Sakura's argument about being a healthier substitute by acting as a helping of fruit will be thrown out of court. Strawberry Pocky is not and will never be considered an official serving of fruit on the International Nutrition's Guide." Ignoring Mikan's squawk of protest, Hotaru turns to Natsume and nods. "Contender Hyuuga, you may proceed."

The audience leans in with baited breath.

Natsume merely twirls the package around on one finger, amazing the crowd with his balance and coordination before he drawls, "You can eat Strawberry Pocky if you want the taste of a Barbie in your mouth. Go ahead and picture chewing on Barbie's smile and tell me that doesn't turn your stomach—"

A murmur of unease shifts through the cafeteria.

"—but don't eat that shit when you've got Chocolate Pocky."

He rips the package open and takes a perfect biscuit stick dipped in chocolate and holds it up between two fingers. "It's rich and sweet," he places the tip at the seam of his lip, teasing, which earns gasps from the girls around the table (and consequently the admiration from the boys who are getting ideas) "—delectably unhealthy and perfect for sharing with your—" his tongue pokes out to playfully lick the tip of the chocolate snack, "—friends."

He smirks boyishly at Mikan's blushing face. "Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, you know…"

"I VOTE FOR NATSUME."

"ME TOO."

"HOLY—"

From out of nowhere, Hotaru brandishes a gavel and pounds it against the table. "Those in favor of Mikan Sakura?"

There is a smatter of polite applause and calls.

"Those in favor of Natsume Hyuuga?"

He brings the whole house down.

"Then I do declare that Mikan Sakura loses. You owe Contender Hyuuga a week's worth of Chocolate Pocky," Hotaru says blandly, tapping the gavel onto the table. "Congratulations, Hyuuga. I expect some of your winnings for my services."

Natsume nods uncommitted and opts to watch Mikan recreate a fish's movements. "But…but strawberries are an aphrodisiac too! You cheated! You can't…you put it in your mouth! That was almost indecent!"

Natsume smirks calmly. "I can show you how good Chocolate Pocky can be."

Mikan reddens with anger and embarrassment. "Y-you pervert! No!"

-;-

"Admit it, Polka Dots."

"N—mmmph!"


	42. Open Book

**Title: **Open Book  
**Prompt:** #38 – graduation  
**Pairing: **Sumire x Koko  
**Genres: **Romance/Friendship  
**Dedication: **For May Madness :) and my lovely readers. Happy reading!**  
**

-;-

-;-

She's like an open book.

It's her face, he decides. She always comments on how easy Mikan is to read, but the joke is on her. Every muscle in her cheeks tells a story. Every line of her lips screams the sadness she doesn't wish to show. Her slim eyebrows shout her indignations. Her eyes whisper secrets she doesn't want anybody else to know.

Koko sees all of this and reads her easily enough without his Alice.

He's never met somebody so expressive, so passionate.

_Do you remember what it's like out there?_

The thought is a wistful question that floats from Sumire's prone figure beside him as they feel the sun jump across their skin in blankets of warmth. From the hill adjacent from the Northern forest, they lie and look out over the road leading out of the Academy gates and to civilization. Truthfully, Koko remembers nothing from outside these impenetrable walls, but he doesn't reply. Sumire isn't looking for an answer. He thinks she barely even acknowledges his presence. He's read her mind for years now to know she's just thinking aloud to him.

_I forgot until Mikan and I escaped. There were a lot of cars…buildings that reached the bottom of clouds and so many people. The _normal _ones. It's not like I'd want to become one of them, but to be a part of their world… There was so much noise. It's fast-paced…so much bigger than Alice Academy. There was this beautiful black dress in the window. I bet I would look great wearing that dress._

He can see the dress through her eyes as if they are his own and thinks she would look good in that dress, too… not that she doesn't already know it.

Many comment about how selfish and shallow Sumire is. Hell, even he has. But Koko's read enough minds to know that there are a great many others that are much, much worse than Sumire, because they do more shallow thinking than they say. Nobody would ever suspect some of the terrible things quiet, shy girls in their year think and Koko's been threatened one too many times to know better than to continue to read aloud a person's thoughts like he used to.

But Sumire is different which is why everybody has such bad impressions of her.

She may be shallow and selfish, but no more than the majority of others. The truth of the matter is she's honest to a fault. Sumire speaks her mind. Everybody used to say _he _didn't have a filter, but Sumire was right behind him on that one. She thinks it's her duty to say things others are too afraid of saying, and though he disagrees with a lot of the things she ends up saying—like criticizing somebody's choice in shoes—he also knows that those she speaks to honestly admire and appreciate her comments most of the time…deep down anyway.

_You know…I wonder what you're going to do without me when I graduate. _

She turns over on her stomach to look at him from under dark eyelashes. Her green gaze is as penetrating as ever.

_And what about the others? Natsume and Ruka and them will be graduating a year before you. You know they were the only ones that could keep you out of trouble—other than me—and you'll probably go crazy without the usual gang to keep you on your feet. You'll keep your grades up so that you can graduate properly, right?_

Koko rolls his eyes. "I'll be fine. I'm sure one year by myself won't be so bad."

That's another thing about her. She's considerate. Lots of people would never have thought, but Sumire thinks about others far more than she thinks about herself. She may not show that she cares outright, but her little actions say more than she needs to. In that way, she's kind of like Natsume and Hotaru.

_You'd better take care of yourself. Two years after I graduate, I'd better see you coming out of those gates._

He turns to grin at her softly. "You will."

He could go on for days about Sumire. There are good aspects and there are bad, but he learns something new about her everyday and whether they're flattering or not, it makes him fall for her a bit harder than the day before. He knows she feels the same too. Being a mind reader has its perks in that regard.

After the first couple dozen arguments they'd had about his abilities, Sumire resigned herself to the fact that he could access all of her deepest and darkest secrets without the conscious effort and she learned not to be so angry when he could read her like a book. They'd gone a long way to get to this point, where she willingly shared her thoughts and desires and he patiently sat beside her to give his two cents.

He knows she feels far more affection toward him than she does with anybody else and he holds that knowledge in the corners of his heart until the day he may act upon it. He's caught her wondering about it…wondering why he doesn't just ask her out on a date and be done with it. But he thinks she's so much better…she deserves more than to have to wait two years for him to graduate from this place and join her on the other side of these wrought iron Academy gates.

So he nods and he listens while he can, acting as the most faithful best friend Sumire Shouda may ever have and the minute he graduates and sees her at those gates, waiting for him, then there will be no more waiting…not for the both of them.

And even though Sumire can't read his thoughts, she knows him well enough to understand even that.


	43. Birthday Wishes

**Title: **Birthday Wishes  
**Prompt:** #43 – stars  
**Pairing: **Shiki x Kazu x Mikan  
**Genres: **Family/Friendship  
**Dedication: **For May Madness :) and my lovely readers. **  
Warning: **kind of canon and kind of spoilers for the recent chapters.**  
**

-;-

-;-

She looks just like her mother, Shiki observes for the nth time.

He watches with Kazu on the balcony of Mikan's room while she marvels at the letters her former classmates have written for her. Her eyes are comically wide as she reads and every few seconds, she covers her mouth with a pale, dainty hand and giggles childishly at whatever she's just read. Then, a long moment after she's finished each letter, she clutches the paper(s) to her chest and looks off into the fire wistfully.

Shiki has never remembered feeling anything like this except when it concerns Yuka, but his heart feels like it's been gripped by an unrelenting fist. He wishes he could do something to make that melancholic expression lift from her face. A face like that…a face like Yuka's always looks better with a smile.

Mikan hurries to fold up the letter and pushes it carefully back into the assigned envelope before she starts the next letter. Shiki catches the name _KOKO _scrawled obnoxiously large on the front of the envelope and as if Mikan notices it just as he does, she claps a hand over her mouth to catch the laugh that flies from her mouth. She doesn't have to hide her laughter, Shiki thinks.

"She acts just like Izumi," Kazu says with a sharp edge of amusement in his voice and more than a hint of nostalgia.

Shiki doesn't tear his eyes from Mikan. But after a second longer than is necessary, he says softly, "She looks just like Yuka." The likeness between them is incredible…Shiki could bet that if Mikan let her hair out of those pigtails of hers, she would look exactly like Yuka had when they were younger. She bites her bottom lip just like Yuka used to.

"You love her, don't you?"

Shiki turns his eyes to Kazu now, wondering if he means Yuka or Mikan. But when he thinks about it, he loves Mikan, too, in that way a father might feel. So he nods to both questions and Kazu looks at him with approval. It's only when Kazu closes his eyes thoughtfully, leaning his elbows against the balcony's edge that Shiki remembers Izumi once more. They were brothers, he thinks. "Do you love her?"

A quiet, enigmatic smile flits across his lips before Kazu opens his eyes and trains them on the little brunette once more. "Yes…for many reasons. But I think, there aren't many who don't love her, are there?" he says quietly, in that wistful voice of his. Shiki wonders if he's thinking about his brother once more. "I wish I could take her away from his place."

Shiki nods solemnly and watches as Mikan tugs at one of her pigtails, fighting the grin from blooming on her lips by biting into her bottom one. "I would have…if there weren't so many ultimatums from that bastard. But," Shiki takes another breath and says resolutely, "I'll protect her with everything I have. She's the only one that matters to me now."

_She's the only piece of Yuka I have left._

"As will I."

There is a pause, a long one, until Shiki mutters quietly, "When will this family be happy? It seems like the odds are always against them."

"She's young," Kazu agrees thoughtfully, "—I wish there was another way for us to keep Kuonji's promise but allow her the opportunity to see her friends. She's lonely up here and what kind of company can two adults give her? You're not the most talkative person."

Shiki doesn't wince, though his insides flinch a bit. "And you are almost five times her age."

Kazu chuckles lightly and Shiki feels the edges of his lips turn up as well. At the sound, Mikan whips her head around to look at the both of them. She cocks her head to the side, a charming, beautiful smile alighting on her lips when she sees their mirth and Shiki thinks this beautiful girl should not be locked in her own tower. A girl with as much compassion and energy and light as Mikan should not be isolated from the rest of this dreary world.

"When she smiles like that, I am reminded of why I stay here…to protect these kids," Kazu says quietly.

And Shiki sees it and understands the potency of that smile.

They watch as Mikan tucks all of her letters into the drawer of the bedside table and flounces over to where they stand. She barely grazes his elbow and he has the strongest urge to reach out and pat her on the head. So he does, hesitantly, and Mikan looks up at him with a smile. There is sadness along the edges of her mouth and Shiki wonders what she's thinking…

"Thank you Shiki-san! Thank you, Yukihira-sama," Mikan says with sincerity. "That's the best birthday present ever!"

Kazu squeezes her shoulder lightly and murmurs, "You can call me Uncle, Mikan."

Shiki sees her swallow thickly before she turns away from him to gaze at Kazu. He doesn't see her face, but Kazu smiles at her, encouraging and affectionate, and she shuffles over shyly to hug him with one arm around his waist. "Thank you, Uncle Kazu," she says softly.

Shiki can feel the tight organ in his throat at those four words.

"Have you been keeping up with your studies, Mikan?" Kazu asks conversationally.

Shiki watches as the back of Mikan's neck immediately reddens and she squeaks quickly, "I…I tried to but…Math is so hard!" She chances a glance at him and sends him a nervous smile. Shiki ruffles her hair with a small grin.

"Do you want me to give you a hand?" the both of them ask in unison. Shiki can feel Kazu's eyes on him, but he keeps his eyes on Mikan who shares one of her grins. "Not today, of course. Not on your birthday." She nods enthusiastically and it makes warmth fill his chest. "Okay, next week then."

"Okay, I'll work very hard!" she promises resolutely, clenching her fists as if she's ready to pump them in the air. "So I can graduate with all of the others! Hotaru and Natsume…"

Shiki shares a look with Kazu and touches the small girl lightly on the shoulder. "Are you ready for your cake?"

Her eyes widen comically and Shiki thinks he might see hearts in her eyes. "You bought me _cake_?" She dashes into her room and looks around curiously, trying to figure out where this aforementioned cake resides. Kazu chuckles with amusement beside him before a robot opens the door holding a cake with twelve bright candles lit on the top.

There are stars in her eyes as the robot begins singing, "Happy birthday to you…"

Soon he and Kazu join in and stand beside the robot, watching as Mikan's eyes dance along with the candles. Her hands are clasped together in front of her chest and her patented smile is a permanent fixture to her face. When Kazu whispers for her to _make a wish_, Mikan closes her eyes and says so softly, Shiki barely hears: "I wish we'll all be together soon."


	44. A Cure for Insomnia

**Title: **A Cure for Insomnia  
**Prompt:** #21 – sweat  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance**  
Author's Note: **for sleepless nights and restless minds. Happy reading all.**  
**

-;-

-;-

He's still restless by the time the digital clock by his bed reads quarter after two in the morning and it doesn't take him long before his irritation is at an all-time high. With a sigh, he pushes the covers off with his feet and throws on his runners. He grabs his keys and takes a quick swig of the glass of water by his bed before he throws the window to his room open.

It takes six minutes to get to her room on a bad day.

On a good day, he takes his time.

It's a path he takes more often than he cares to admit and he knows it like the back of his hand. The boys and girls dormitories are separated by the Middle School branch's soccer field. His room is on the fourth floor with a view over this field. If he turns to the right, he can see the back of the Middle School building. If he turns to the left, he can see the road that leads to the bus stop going to Central Town and the Latent Type building. If he stares straight ahead, he can see the girl's dormitory.

The path is an easy one.

As a special star, he has a balcony. It merely takes a running jump to the tree two meters away and the easy scaling of said tree to touch the ground. Then there is a four minute run across the large field. Her room is five rooms to the right and two floors up. He uses windowsills and the odd balcony to reach her window.

She keeps the window open for him and he ducks into her bedroom with light footfalls and a steady breath. The lamp is on its dim setting and he peels his runners off by the window before walking towards her dresser. It's messy and completely disorganized, but he manages to find one of his sleeping shirts just fine. He's a little sweaty from his run. He peels his shirt off and throws the clean one on. He would much rather be shirtless, but he knows she freaks out a bit if he's shirtless and she isn't expecting it in the morning.

It doesn't take long for him to lift her from the edge of the bed toward the middle and to settle down beside her after extinguishing the light from the lamp.

She mumbles under her breath, pushing the heel of her hand into her eyes, before she whispers quietly, "Natsume? What's wrong?" Her eyes open blearily at his hum and she whines a bit before settling into the crook of his neck and draping an arm around his waist.

The childish reaction makes him warm. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

He drops a feather soft kiss on her forehead.

She hums slightly, or says something incoherently, before she murmurs, "Love you." She inhales into his shirt with a sigh before her breathing evens out and she falls asleep once more.

It doesn't take him long to follow.


	45. Seven Deadly Sins

**Title: **Seven Deadly Sins  
**Prompt:** #2 – park  
**Pairing: **Luna x ESP Kuonji  
**Genres: **Crime**  
Warning: **AU**  
Author's Note: **This was supposed to be a chaptered story called the** Seven Deadly Sins**, but I don't have the patience to plan the whole thing out and I'm trying to finish writing on FFN this summer so I can't possibly write this eighteen to twenty chaptered story. Here is the prologue though. You guys can try to guess which of the Seven Deadly Sins is being punished for in this installment. ;)**  
**

-;-

-;-

The air is still.

He sits in the city park with a handful of bread crumbs in his hands and patiently scatters them about in a half moon shape. The pigeons flock toward him and watch him curiously for a second or two before they greedily pluck at the bits of food after deeming him harmless. Black eyes glimpse the ticking hands of his watch before noting how close it is to midnight.

The streets are empty and the streetlights barely illuminate the roads with a dim glow.

This is how he prefers it.

It's always so pleasantly quiet at this time of night.

Gracefully, he picks up the bag of crumbs and grabs another handful before tossing it to the pigeons once more. They attack the ground viciously with their beaks and when another seems to be moving in on the crumbs in their vicinity, they peck at each other. He finds the complete selfishness of the birds gratifying. In this type of world, one had to fend for oneself. It was common knowledge…one in which many seemed to forget. The system of the world was anarchic; there were no rules to prevent a man from acting for his own survival. Laws were only guidelines made by stuffy old men in suits that had the deranged notion they could control the world.

He would not be controlled.

He scatters another handful of crumbs to the birds before there is a distinct _clip clop _of shoes sounding against the asphalt. The disruption causes him to look up to find a teenage girl wearing a neat, pleated skirt of different variations of red and a black long sleeved shirt with a white collar and a red bow tied to the front. She's a school girl. It's obvious in the awkward sway of her hips, the rebellious set of her shoulders and the overdone shade of red on her lips.

She cuts across the park and doesn't even seem to notice the man sitting on the bench until she's scared the majority of the birds away and he murmurs softly, "You really shouldn't be out so late."

The girl shrieks a little and it immediately grates on his nerves. He watches with annoyance as the girl's head whips around to face him and a hand presses against the base of her collarbone, close to her heart. Her voice is annoyed, "What the hell?"

She scoffs and easily provokes the other birds to fly off by stamping her feet and continues on past him. He watches her with barely concealed irritation. "You're quite the ill-tempered child, aren't you?"

"That's none of your damn business."

"Do you often make it a point to—"

She cuts him off abruptly, "Okay, _sorry_ your birds don't like you. The rest isn't my problem."

He chuckles lightly and places the half full bag of crumbs on the seat next to him and folds his hands together. "Birds have no degree of affection, not even for their offspring at times. I am not offended."

She wrinkles her nose and her arms are placed akimbo. "Look, you dumb shit. I'm having a really fucking bad day so if you're done being nosy and looking like a pedo, you can dig yourself a hole and proceed to die, all right? I don't have time for your shit because I have to figure out a way to get back at my boyfriend for cheating." She snorts slightly and turns, "Why am I even wasting my breath talking to you? Fuck."

"Revenge isn't the answer to all of your problems. Karma shall suffice," the man says slowly. "And patience is the greatest of virtues."

"I don't have time for this. Mind your own business, old man. You probably shouldn't be sitting in the dark scaring little girls away when you should be cleaning out your dentures," she sniffs disdainfully, obviously in a bad mood. "Have a nice night. That'll make one of us at least."

Such insolence.

She turns and doesn't realize he's grabbed her wrists or grabbed her by the throat until her feet are dragging along the ground. She struggles and feels the wind get knocked out of her lungs when he slams her against the stone brick walls of the alleyway just a few meters away from the park. Real fear inches up her spine when she merely sees the outline of the man's body. The alley is too dark to see eye colors or proper facial distinctions and her breaths are rapidly increasing. She struggles even more against his grasp and tries to scream but a large hand covers her mouth.

She tastes leather on her tongue and bites to realize the leather is preventing him from feeling any real pain.

There's soft laughter from above her, and if anything, the chill in her spine solidifies.

She moves to knee him in the groin, but his feet step on hers and soon she is merely a struggling mess of captured limbs and streaky tears. He talks to her while she struggles, his tone is every bit of the nonchalance he displays earlier. "You seemed like such a nice, virtuous girl," his voice is smooth and masculine. "Who would have thought you had such a disrespectful mouth on you, hm? Did your mother teach you how to treat your elders? If so, I would like to have a talk with your mother. She should have taught you several lessons in fact."

Her blonde head thrashes against the wall, but the voice merely continues. "Now I'm going to allow you to respond to my questions and if the answers are suitable, I may let you go. Nod if you understand." She struggles weakly and he restrains her as easily as one would a baby. Finally, shakily, she nods. "Good," his voice is smooth and calm. "Has your mother ever told you not to go out so late at night?"

She shakes her head 'no' and feels the sting of pain against the side of her face when he slaps her. The hand covers her mouth again before she realizes he's let go. "Now, now. No lying. Didn't your mother tell you how important honesty is?"

The sting of tears pricks at her eyes.

She nods jerkily.

"So I'll ask you one more time: has your mother ever told you not to go out so late at night?"

She nods silently, eyes still streaming with tears. "Good, good. Now, let's wrap this up shall we? Did your mother tell you to disrespect your elders so?"

She shakes her head and he tuts softly. "Three questions and three terrible responses. You never listened to your mother, did you? She really does know best, you know. Honesty is the best policy, one should always respect one's elders…this applies to when your mother tells you not to go out so late." His lips brush against her cheek and he ignores the way she winces away and drags his lips to her ear instead. "I really wished you would have responded favourably to at least _one _of my questions, but as it is, I'm afraid you've failed. They say three strikes and you're out. I'm sure you've heard of that before."

The girl shakes her head hopelessly with her eyes closed. "Tell me, child, what is your name?"

Her eyes open slightly and he barely lifts his hand enough to hear her response.

Her voice is hoarse from her tears: "Luna."

His hand covers her mouth again. "Well Luna," he says softly, giving her neck an easy flick of his wrist. The bones give as easily as twigs. "Good night."


	46. Somewhere the Clock is Ticking

**Title: **Somewhere the Clock is Ticking  
**Prompt:** #12 – clock  
**Pairing: **Natsume x Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Comfort**  
Author's Note: **for times when we think it's all so hopeless.**  
**

-;-

-;-

_I'm still alive._

That is the first thought that comes to Natsume's mind when he blinks blearily against the light streaming through the open blinds. His body sings with pain and he gasps for breath and faintly hears a flutter of footsteps before he hears the soothing sound of her voice. He can't tell what she's saying exactly. There's a sharp ringing in his ears that blocks out almost all other sounds.

Suddenly the pain eases until he can blink and see the tiles of the ceiling.

"Natsume." He can hear the relief in her voice. "If you scare me like that ever again, I'm going to kill you with my bare hands."

The worried reprimand makes him want to grin or scoff, but he does neither because both reactions require energy he just doesn't have. He tries to call her name, but it comes out as a winded gasp: "Polka Dots."

She appears by his side and he doesn't realize she's holding one of his hands in both of hers until he sees it. He tries to hide the wince but she catches it immediately. With rapid succession, she slips one hand away to search inside her skirt pocket before she pulls out an Alice stone. It is dark blue in colour and as large as a quarter. With a determined set to her lips, she settles the stone over his chest and he watches blearily as the Alice stone is inserted inside his body.

He instantly feels the cooling effect.

_Mikan, I'm still alive._

"Natsume-kun," her voice is soft and full of sorrow.

He blinks the fog over his eyes away before he sees this girl press her lips against his hand. It takes him a moment to realize she's shaking like a leaf. He tugs his hand away. His chest tightens and all he wants to do is hide away so that she never sees him like this ever again. She leans over him, brown eyes large and wet, before she pushes his hair out of his face.

"I wish this never happened to you."

He wishes he could hide himself. Clear memories from his latest four day mission flood his mind and it takes all he has not to rip himself apart. How can she stand him… when he's deceived, maimed, and killed so many? Her happy smiles and her innocent laugh would be swallowed by his corruption if she can only see the things he does.

He's a monster.

He's disgusting.

The hands that she's just pressed her lips against are covered in blood… so much blood. How can she _stand _him? Her big brown eyes… they would not look at him like they look at him now if she really knew. She thinks she understands but she doesn't have the slightest clue. He _kills_.

Not her. _Not her_. He doesn't deserve her.

God, he's a monster.

He looks at her, schooling his features and masking his aches and pains. "Get out of here," his voice is hoarse. "I don't want you here." _I don't want you to see me._

She ignores him and settles down on the chair by his bed with a stubborn gleam in her eyes. Her eyes are as big as always and they're picking a fight. "Don't start, Natsume-kun. I know what you're thinking. Stop that."

He closes his eyes and turns away from her. Not too far, never too far. He can feel the disgust curl in his belly. "Pray tell, Koko, what am I thinking?"

The heat from her body flares and he knows she's fired up. "I know I'm naïve, but I can see it, you know," her voice is angry with a hurt that makes a sick feeling settle in his stomach. "Do you think I don't notice that you don't trust me?"

He stiffens and the words are out of his mouth before he can catch up with them. "I trust you."

"No, you don't. If you trusted me, you wouldn't push me away. If you trusted me, you would let your guard down a little bit. I'm your partner, Natsume. I care about you… a lot. But I can still see you. You're stiff around me… maybe not as much as the others, but you never let me in. It's like you're afraid I'm going to run the moment I see you. But I see you, Natsume. I see you just fine."

A sick hope flares within him but he doesn't dwell on it for long. He can't afford to hope. He's been disappointed one too many times.

"How was your mission?" her voice is candid in a way that makes it evident she's trying to prove a point. "No editing."

"We're not doing this."

Her voice raises an octave. "Why not? I'm your partner! You're supposed to tell me these things!"

"The fuck I am," he says coolly. "I can't say. No specifics. You know that much at least. I leave, I steal and I kill. The end. What more is there to it? Do you want all of the gory details? Do you want me to tell you about the pungent smell of blood as it splashes on my jacket or the feeling of broken bones under my hands?" He inhales sharply at the words and can feel the simmer in her energy like a pulse in the air. He turns to look at her, then, and takes in the clenched fists in her lap. "Look, I'm sorry."

_You're so disgusting. You're a monster._

"Don't be." Her eyes are imploring and sincere. "I know what you do and I know your reasons. Your reasons, Natsume-kun, that's what matters. I wish you didn't have to do all that. I wish I could protect you."

_You protect me just fine. _

She presses a soft hand against his cheek and he can't help but close his eyes and bask in the warmth of her presence. It's more effective than any salve or balm or potion used on his wounds, more effective than sleep for his exhaustion and brings more peace than anything he could ever dream of. _I want to keep you with me forever._

"You should take your medicine," she says after a second, moving toward the bedside table to pluck open the closest container of pills. There are several containers, but she knows which ones he takes on a daily basis and she deposits the three multi-coloured pills in his hand before she stands up. "I'll get you a glass of water."

"No," his hand is on her wrist before she can so much as turn. "Stay. This is fine."

He swallows two first, then the one, and she wrinkles her nose. "How can you _do _that? I can't without some water. It tastes like plastic!"

He nods toward the bedside table. "Grab me another white one."

Her eyes are worried. "Are you sure? That's more than you—"

"I need it."

She doesn't say another word, but the pill is in his hand in the next second and he swallows with little difficulty. Her anxiety is coming off of her in waves and he sits against the hospital pillows with his eyes closed. He doesn't have to look at her to know she's looking at him with those brown eyes full of concern and sadness. He exhales slowly. "What is it?"

"I wish you didn't have your Alice."

The statement makes his eyes fly open and he regards her carefully, wearily. "We can't do anything about it, Polka Dots. We can't change who we are. This was the hand I was dealt. I'm fine with that."

"You're so sick," her voice is wet with tears.

His stomach curls and his heart tightens. Without much thought, he shifts over in the hospital bed and lifts the covers of the blanket covering his lower half. She takes her shoes off and climbs into his side like a child. He wraps an arm around her and she fists a hand into his shirt like she never wants to let go. "We knew this was going to happen," he says patiently. "We're all going to die. It's just going to happen faster to me."

She's quiet for a moment before her voice is vehement. "You don't deserve this life… a life when you're constantly watching the clock to see how much time is left. It's not fair."

"Polka—"

She cuts him off before he can finish. "Life isn't fair. I know, Natsume… I know."

He's quiet, feeling the warmth of her body pressed against his. If only life was as simple as this. Just him and her, together like this.

As if she can hear him, Mikan lifts her head up and looks at him with her big doe eyes. "You're going to be a miracle case," she says with conviction. "You're going to live until you're old and grey. You're going to defy all odds." She talks as if she's trying to convince herself more than anybody and the thought makes his chest ache at this beautiful, determined, stubborn girl. She is his dream… the future he never knew he wanted.

"You're a fighter. You're going to fight against all of it," she says, her lower lip wobbles. "And I'm going to help you. It'll just be you and me. Us against the world. We'll make it. We'll get through all of it. You're going to live until you're ninety-two. You're going to have grey hair and wrinkles all over your face and you'll terrorize the kids from across the street with your rolled up newspaper and cane—"

It's nice…this picture she paints in his head, but it isn't perfect. Not yet.

"Will there be an ugly old lady with pigtails with me when I'm old and grey?"

His tone is light, but they can both hear the underlying question.

She responds almost immediately. "I'll be wherever you are."

And while she continues her determined tirade about his grey future, he thinks—softly, quietly—in his mind, _we can dream._


	47. The Hot Scale

**Title: **The Hot Scale  
**Prompt:** #31 – orange  
**Characters: **Tono, Misaki, Tsubasa, Koko, Natsume (Ruka, Mikan)  
**Genre: **Humour**  
Author's Note: **For Romantically Loveless. Happy birthday, Ghandi. :)**  
**

-;-

-;-

She had orange hair, yellow eyes and extremely tanned skin that was a colour between brown and orange. If she didn't look like the warm side of the rainbow, she'd be so much hotter, Tono thought. She had a pretty bone structure though…and gorgeous, mile long legs. Small rack, but that _ass. _

Mhm…

Tono nodded with approval and quickly gave her a 7.

It was a hot day at Alice Academy and Tono was bored. It was rare for him to be at school in the first place, what with so many missions being dumped on his lap, and the last thing he wanted to do was be stuck in a stuffy classroom trying to catch up on school work that was beyond his comprehension. They couldn't possibly expect him to pass every class with flying colours when he wasn't there five days a week anyway.

His eyes zeroed in on a middle school chick.

He liked the way she wore her skirt.

She wasn't skinny and the amount of curves did wonders to her bust. He could even see the top buttons of her shirt undone. The uniform was _not _meant to be worn like that, but he wasn't complaining. She had a small waist, average legs, dainty little feet and grace to her steps. She was gorgeous with her tumbling black hair and pretty pink lips. It was Hana Masami, though. She was a definite 9 in the looks department but a 2 in the brains. 4.5 average? That was a little low for someone so gorgeous. Perhaps he would bump her up to a 6 at least. _At least._

She caught him looking and sent him a sultry smile.

Okay, she was a 7_. _No question.

"Hey, it's Tono!"

There was a groan and he turned just in time to see his kouhai, Tsubasa, turning away and trying to pull Misaki-chan with him. Did he really think he could get away so easily? He pushed his hands from off the picnic table to watch them. "Oi, come back here!"

Tsubasa groaned when Misaki broke away to give Tono a hug.

Tono smirked at him from over Misaki's shoulder.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Misaki grinned, flopping down beside him and leaning back on her palms. "Are you people watching again? That's creepy!"

"He's rating girls," Tsubasa cut in. "It's a special hobby of his right beside befriending little children and having sex."

"Don't lump the two of those together. It makes me sound like a pedo," Tono drawled watching as a high school girl walked by. "She's definitely an 8."

"What are you talking about?" Misaki exclaimed, squinting her eyes. "She has weird knees. That should make her a 7."

"No, she's _definitely _an 8."

"He made the system so it's pointless to argue with him. And don't encourage him," whined Tsubasa, taking a seat by Misaki's legs. "Aren't you supposed to defend your kind? You do realize he's degrading and completely—"

"Oh lighten up!" Misaki rolled her eyes, giving him a swift punch to the arm. "Don't be such a poor sport. It's all in good fun." She peered over toward the field and squinted. "Isn't that Natsume? I love riling up that kid. Oi, Natsume! Yes, I'm talking to you, come here! And bring Koko with you!"

They watched as Koko sprinted up with a wide grin on his nine-year old face. He blushed under Misaki's gaze before his eyes flashed over to Tono. His eyes widened. Then he clapped his hands over his ears and stumbled back with a gasp.

Natsume steadied the younger kid before levelling his dark red eyes on the trio. His eyes narrowed and in an arrogant drawl, he asked, "What do you want?"

Koko was still standing with his hands over his ears, eyes wide and a dark blush on his cheeks. His eyes were on Tono who looked at him curiously. "What's wrong with your little friend? He looks like he has a crush on me."

It took Natsume two seconds to understand before he glared at the older student. "Whatever you're thinking, keep it PG. He's nine. And he's a mind reader."

Misaki punched Tono in the arm and Tsubasa merely laughed. "Well shit," Tono grinned with an apology in his eyes. "Sorry kid. There was a really hot chick behind you and I couldn't help myself."

"The hot scale again?" Natsume said with an edge of disgust in his voice. "You really need a new hobby."

"Like you don't do it too," Tono scoffed. "I didn't spend an entire afternoon teaching you the art of rating for you to just forget about it. There are a lot of technicalities and it involves math, chemistry _and _the arts. Tell me that's easy and I'll call your bullshit and raise with a cup of orange juice."

"Did you really just use poker terms for—" Tsubasa shook his head. "Forget it." He looked down at Natsume and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were better than that. If Mikan knew…"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "When you're waiting in the middle of Tokyo after a mission with just _him_, you can't help but listen." Natsume looked at him condescendingly. "And Polka Dots wouldn't believe you."

"She already thinks you're a pervert," Tsubasa said airily, grinning at the rising heat around him. "Do you really think she's going to believe her perverted partner over her cool senpai?"

"He's got you there, kid," Misaki laughed. Her dark pink eyes twinkled. "Don't worry. She likes you enough so it won't matter." Her eyes moved over to Koko who was standing by Tono's knee, nodding intermittently while Tono watched the girls walk by. Immediately she knocked Tono on the back of the head. "Are you teaching him how to rate girls? Don't corrupt the kid!"

"What about me?" Natsume arched an eyebrow.

Misaki waved him off without looking at him. "You're a whole year older and it's not like you aren't a pervert deep down inside anyway. It's too late for you. Koko's such a sweet kid though. You can't taint him! He's too cute!"

"Calm down. He's enjoying himself," Tono replied, gesturing at Koko who was currently on the look-out. "He's a much better student than Natsume ever was. Look at that kid. He's a natural!"

"So," Koko started off hesitantly. "Is she a 9?"

Tono leaned back to give the girl a quick once-over. "Close. She's more of an 8 though. Did you see how long her arms were? You don't want her to be able to wrap her arms around you _twice_. That's just weird."

Koko nodded with complete understanding before nodding at the next girl. "But _she's_ a 9 right?"

Tono slapped him on the back and grinned. "You got it, kid! Good job!" He turned to the other three and looked at them knowingly. "See? Obviously it's not _that _stupid if everybody likes doing it so much." He turned back to Koko with a grin. "You're probably acing Math and Science, huh? You picked up the hot scale _fast._"

"He almost flunked Math and he's doing poorly in Science."

Tono looked over at Natsume and visibly recoiled at the blue flames in his palm and the dark look in his eyes. "What's _your_ problem?"

"You…you called Mikan-chan a 9…" Tsubasa pointed out. "And she's like… six years younger than you." He shook his head. "You are such a pedo."

Tono did a double take and saw that, indeed, it was Mikan Sakura walking toward them with Ruka Nogi. When she caught them looking, she gave a bright smile and a little wave. She didn't seem to notice the foreboding aura around the picnic table as she started to half-jog over. "Oh…well shit. Look Natsume, I was just—"

"—Defend your woman, Natsume!" Misaki exclaimed with a laugh.

He watched as Tono cowered behind Koko and he could feel the pulse in his veins that proved Tono was unintentionally amplifying his Fire Alice. This was going to be too easy. He let a smirk grace his lips before the fire in his palm grew.

"Oh, my pleasure."


	48. Doctor's Orders

**Title: **Doctor's Orders  
**Prompt:** #27 – fire  
**Characters: **Mikan x Natsume  
**Genre: **Humour/Romance**  
Author's Note: **Because I'm not feeling too well and this scenario danced around in my head with suspenders and a cane and I had to pay attention.**  
**

-;-

-;-

You know those times when you have so many things on your mind, you don't really pay attention to the things going on around you?

That happens to me all the time.

My parents both passed away and Uncle Yukihira was always busy with Alice Academy. I was thankful for his help and hospitality when I lost mom and dad, but I was twenty-four now and could take care of myself. I was working as an editor's assistant. Not only did I have to worry about the manuscripts still waiting on my desk, but I had another part time waitressing job and now, Uncle Serio to worry about. For some reason, he kept finding black spots all over his body.

I was thinking about all of these things when somebody snapped their fingers in front of my face.

"What does it take to find some good help around here?"

He was tall, dark and handsome. Black hair, red eyes and a massive frown on his face.

I blinked and looked behind him and then behind me. What was he talking about? "I'm sorry, I think—"

"Your apologies mean nothing to me," the man scoffed impatiently, throwing open the closest door and storming into the hospital room. He peeled his business jacket off before he unbuttoned the cufflinks to his shirt and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. His dark gaze met mine before he arched an eyebrow. "For Kami's sake, come in here! Do I have to do everything myself? You'd think doctors knew procedure nowadays but even _that _is hoping for too much."

I stepped in uncertainly and clasped my hands behind my back.

What did he expect me to do exactly?

I inhaled a slow breath before looking at him evenly. "Look, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding—"

"What's your name?" he interrupted rudely, taking a seat on the hospital bed's crinkly paper.

"Mikan Sakura?"

"Don't answer it as a question," he said firmly, gently probing his temples. "Look, Dr. Sakura, I have a lot of work to finish and the sooner you tell me I don't have a concussion, the sooner I'll be out of your hair and you'll be out of mine. Have we come to an understanding?"

I was so confused. "Yes, but—"

"What is that smell?" he said abruptly, rubbing his forehead. "If you don't get rid of it, you can add nausea to my list of symptoms." He looked up and narrowed his red eyes on me once again. I felt like a cornered animal under his ire and evident displeasure. "What are you doing just standing over there? Come here and diagnose me."

Who did he think he was ordering me around like that? I might have listened up until now but that was _enough_. He thought he could waltz in here like he owned the place? He thought he could accost innocent passersby and order them around like he was the master of the universe? Heck no!

I stepped closer and glared at him. "You are such a bossy, high maintenance _jerk_. Don't think that just because you have a business suit on you can waltz in here like you're some higher being and boss anybody around. I am _not _a doctor and I am _not _somebody you can make a mockery of just because you're having a bad day. I'm not having a great day myself! I don't know what crawled up your ass but I suggest it come out! So just…take your nausea and take it to somebody who cares because I _don't_."

I didn't realize I was standing right in front of him until my breathing slowed and I was a meter away with my hands on my hips and his eyes still on me. He was looking at me curiously, red eyes captivating and slightly glassy, before he murmured, "Scratch the nausea off my list. You smell really good."

I blinked at him, gobsmacked. "D-Did you not hear _anything _I said? I'm not a doctor! Give your symptoms list to somebody who actually knows what you're talking about!"

"I heard you," he said faintly. His hands were on his knees and his shoulders were slumped. He actually looked like he was in pain.

I took a step forward. "H-hey, are you all right?"

"Let's see," he started derisively, the edge of his voice annoyed but soft. "During an important meeting, my stupid ex-assistant flirted with the son of one of my clients and caused a _fire _on my desk. The both of them came barging into the conference room, caused a scene that included lots of yelling and crying and when I went to see what happened to my office, my own security team knocked me over until I hit my head on the edge of my ex-assistant's desk and blacked out. On the way over to the hospital, I woke up in time to realize…I _still_ don't know what's happened to my office, what will happen with the deal I was trying to cut with my clients and to make matters worse, I need to find a personal assistant to take over that bag of shit I just fired in time for next week's meeting with The Clones."

"The Clones?"

"Three creepy triplets working with the AAO. They're probably as tall as my armpit and they look like children at best," he explained. He exhaled a long breath before he looked up into my eyes. "Oh, and my sister is getting married to this loser I used to go to school with in a month."

I swallowed thickly and felt my arms fall to my sides. "Okay…well never mind, your day sounds much worse than mine."

He chuckled softly and looked at my face. It was so intense, it felt like he was trying to commit my face to memory. I could feel heat come up my neck and into my cheeks and was saved from further embarrassment when the door opened to admit the _real _doctor.

"Mr. Hyuuga!" He was out of breath when he uttered his name. He had messy brown hair, clear blue eyes and a strong jaw. He was pretty and he didn't seem to notice me. "You really shouldn't have left the—" His eyes flashed over to me before he swallowed. "Oh hello. I didn't realize Mr. Hyuuga had company. My name is Dr. Nendo and you are…?"

"Leaving," I said quickly. I brushed past him with a nervous smile that he returned.

I was halfway down the hall by the time I heard footsteps fall in step behind me and heard Mr. Hyuuga shout my name.

He was in front of me in two steps and the closeness made me step back in surprise. "You said you were having a bad day," he started silkily, red eyes cloaked with mystery. "Wait for me. I'll take you out for dinner."

My eyes widened in surprise. "I—I don't know. I don't normally do this."

"You don't have dinner?" His voice was amused. "Take it as an apology for bossing you around and using you to de-stress when that's what I should be paying a therapist for."

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. "You don't need to apologize. I know what bad days are like and yours sounded like the worst. Look, I'm not going to take your reaction to heart. Have a good night, Mr. Hyuuga."

Before I could so much as turn, he pressed his hand to the top of my neck and pressed his lips against my forehead. I was so shocked, I didn't notice he was already stepping back and heading back to his room with a smirk on his face. I noticed the doctor watching from the doorway with an equally shocked look on his. I opened and closed my mouth twice before I swallowed thickly. "What the hell was _that _about?"

Mr. Hyuuga merely smirked. "I'll take you out to dinner and you can ask me all the questions you want."

I opened and closed my mouth before following him into his hospital room right on time for him to unbutton his shirt and peel it off his shoulders. My eyes immediately locked on to his torso and I could feel my eyes widen and a blush heat up my cheeks. At his dark chuckle, my eyes flashed up to meet his.

I swallowed.

"On second thought, perhaps I will take you up on that offer, Mr. Hyuuga," I said faintly.

He snorted and reserved the amused gleam in his eyes. "Thought so."

* * *

_I'm going to take one request for the next drabble. Give me a pairing, your choice of AU or canon and a prompt/scenario you want me to try my hand at and I'll pick the one I like best. Go!  
_


	49. Girl Troubles

**Title: **Girl Troubles  
**Prompt:** #41 – tea  
**Characters: **Mikan, Natsume, Tono, OC  
**Genre: **Humour**  
Author's Note: **this one goes out to **cynics united sarcasm gifted** (FFN wouldn't let me spell your penname properly, weird) for the incredibly funny premise of this story. Tono is here because _a lot _of you liked him in **#47** and he just seemed to fit perfectly. Happy reading and Happy Father's Day everyone! :)**  
**

-;-

-;-

"Tell me again why we're tailing Mikan and her new friend."

Natsume's eyes didn't flicker but his already short temper spiked at the senior's nonchalance. There was no _time _for distractions and the 18-year old Amplifier needed to start minding his own fucking business. "Don't you have something better to do with your time?" he asked gruffly, eyes never moving from the _hand _that was not _his _hand on Mikan's thigh.

"Well not really," Tono responded silkily. For some reason, he reverted to his patented flirting voice. "The question should really be: why is Tono gracing _me _with his presence when there are others that are far more suitable? You really aren't worthy. I know, Natsume, I know. But I choose _you. _You may be inferior in every way, but I like to think we've established some kind of bond over the years."

"The hell we have," Natsume replied idly, pushing off from his crouch behind the bushes. They were moving from the park bench toward the Central town stores and Natsume mentally groaned at the thought of pursuing the both of them around shops when people were more likely to notice him and cause a scene.

"I like how you don't argue about your inferiority," Tono's voice was amused.

"I like how you're picking a fight with a Fire Alice," Natsume responded irritably, darting the senior a look of pure frustration. "Now can you get lost? You're killing my cover. This is important."

Tono's coal black eyes brightened with intrigue. "Important? You're following your girlfriend around in dimly lit areas like a common stalker pedo." Natsume sent him a dark glare before he straightened up to his full height and pocketed his hands before walking ten people behind her. Tono smirked at the boy's silence. "C'mon. Fill Tono-senpai in on your little mission and maybe he can give you a helping hand."

Natsume shot him another dark look.

"Do you really think talking in the third person is going to persuade me to tell you anything?" Natsume asked dryly, as he weaved expertly through the crowd. "Honestly, the only thing you can do is stand there and flick your hair around like Amane. Otherwise, you have no commercial value."

Tono's jaw dropped before he choked out, "You arrogant little—Natsume, take that back!"

Natsume snickered as he walked on ahead, lifting a hand in salute. The jeer didn't deter Tono like he hoped it would and soon the senior was once again walking by his side with the usual haughty air around him. For a player, and despite being popular, the senior had far too much time on his hands. Why else would he hang out with a twelve year old?

"For the love of Kami," Tono breathed suddenly, almost breathless with disbelief. Natsume followed his gaze only to find Mikan holding hands with a… with a hand that wasn't _his_. And she was getting kissed on the cheek! "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? _That person _looks awfully cozy with your girlfriend."

"I _know_," Natsume grated darkly, taking a step forward before Tono put a stiff arm on his shoulder. "Let me go. This has gone _too _far."

"Is she _hitting _on your girl?" Tono asked with far too much mirth in his voice. "Who is this?"

"Mizuki Yoshida," Natsume supplied lowly, almost in a growl. "Thirteen. She has the Maze Alice. Special Ability. She's been here for three and a half weeks. Mikan hasn't spent more than an hour with me a day for _three and a half weeks_." His eyes zeroed in on the falsely sweet smile on the violet haired girl's face and he could feel his blood boiling with ire. "Studying, dinner, Central town, breakfast, sleepovers, homework, Special Ability class days…this girl is making me sick."

Tono whistled as they followed the pair belatedly into a small boutique. "Are you telling me you're being threatened by a _girl_?"

Natsume grunted something low in his throat. "I thought she just wanted to be friends with Polka Dots…but one day Mikan was eating ice cream and she got a bit of chocolate on the corner of her mouth. Then _she _leaned in and licked her_. Licked her lip! _I thought I was going to throw up. You know what Yoshida did after that?" Natsume was too heated to realize he was talking animatedly. Tono hummed encouragingly. "She looked over Polka's shoulder… and _smirked _at me."

"Well _shit_," Tono looked away from his nails toward the change rooms. "Was it hot?"

Natsume nudged the back of the senior's knees so that he pitched forward with a graceless grunt. "If Shizune-senpai was being hit on and _touched _by some random girl, would _you _think it was hot?"

Tono looked up from rubbing the back of his head. The thoughtful set to his lips morphed into a wolfish grin. "_Duh_. I'd like it better if _I _was—"

"Stop," Natsume shook his head in disgust. "You're sick."

"I'm a guy!" Tono replied as if it was the answer to all questions. "As long as she likes it, that's hot."

"Well Polka Dots is mine," Natsume's voice was resolute. "Only mine. Girl or guy, _nobody _should be allowed to touch what's mine."

"Then why aren't you doing anything about Little Miss Hands-On?" Tono popped back up on his feet to see the Yoshida girl with her hands on Mikan's shoulders and an enamoured glint to her eyes. "Shouldn't you be exacting your boyfriend title and monopolizing Mikan's time?"

There was a painful pause.

"I don't know what to do," he said lowly. "The last time I did that, Polka Dots called me a jealous freak and said that it was _terrible of me to be so mean to Mizuki-chan_. The little faker started crying and ran out of the cafeteria. Obviously Polka Dots followed. She's been pissed off at me ever since."

Tono scratched his head as they ducked behind a rack of clothing to hide from the two girls leaving the shop. Slowly, they followed. Tono looked at the frustrated boy beside him and asked, "Well what did you do?"

Nonchalantly, "I kicked her chair over."

Tono paused. "Was Yoshida _on _the chair?"

"…Yeah."

Tono face-palmed with a groan. "Are you kidding me, kid? Have you _not _seen Tsubasa get ass-kicked enough by Misaki-chan enough to know that is _not _the way to deal with a raging female?" He swung an arm around Natsume's shoulder and pointed emphatically at the back of Mikan's head meters ahead of them. "Listen up, kid," Tono said in his lesson-giving voice. "Everybody says you have a natural gift with the ladies, but that just proves otherwise. Take it from the master. I _know _women. You're not supposed to use _violence_ to win the girl over…you're supposed to use your _words_."

Natsume tossed him a dry look. "I don't need lessons in love from a manwhore. Besides," he muttered bitterly, "—my 'words' tend to make Polka Dots talk my ear off. On a bad day, she might even slap me before she walks out."

Tono threw up his free arm in disbelief. "That's because you expect to woo a girl by telling her what underwear pattern you like best and saying she doesn't have any breasts."

At this, Natsume smirked.

Tono frowned. "Take it from a professional. If somebody starts moving in on your territory, you need to do one of two things. It's different depending on _what _is moving on your territory. Because it's a girl—which is just _priceless, _by the way—you first need to show her what she wants that a _girl_ couldn't possibly give her."

"That has sexual innuendo written all over it," Natsume deadpanned frostily.

"You're supposed to be twelve! Stop thinking with your parts, kid, geez!" Tono rubbed at his eyes before his gaze drifted over to a blonde middle school girl. She had big green eyes and a set of adorable glasses perched on her nose. Normally he liked the kind of girls who were a little daring in the way they wore the school uniform and knew exactly what they were doing, but cute librarian-esque girls _definitely _had a certain appeal—

"Hypocrite," Natsume muttered idly, eyes still locked on his girlfriend. "Hurry up. We need to get ahead of them. I know where she's headed."

"You're inviting me along?" Tono said with a grin. "Progress!"

"Like you weren't going to just follow me anyway," Natsume said wryly, stepping away from the cemented path to jog quickly through the huge Central town park. "We've got to get to _The Little Tea House_ and scare whoever's at the table in the back. It has the perfect view of the whole place."

"Why _The Little Tea House_?"

"She has to go to the Howalon stand and this place every time we go to Central town," Natsume mumbled under his breath. Out loud, he murmured, "Pick up the pace, Akira. You're falling behind."

"Oh? Natsume remembers something as silly as that?" Tono was amused. "How _cute._" Tono grinned when they arrived at the tea pavilion before the girls and settled down in the seat beside Natsume. "You know, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Mikan is _your _girlfriend. Not Yoshida's. I'm sure Mikan would've dumped you by now if she found her soul mate in a female Maze Alice."

"Your attempt at reassurance is pathetic at best."

Tono shrugged dismissively before he picked up the menu and ran his eyes through the contents. "So what's good here?"

Natsume didn't respond. Instead, he ordered the black chai tea with honey on the side.

Tono arched an eyebrow but didn't comment and opted to order the vanilla bean coffee cake and whichever tea the cute waitress liked best. It was all said in his patented flirty voice and coupled with the deadly eye wink and sultry smirk. The waitress swoon-sighed with a giggle before she skipped back behind the counter.

"You have no shame," Natsume said dryly, eyes locked on the entrance of the little tea shop.

Tono shrugged unrepentantly before a smirk grazed his lips. "If you're having girl problems, I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems but the chick ain't one. Hit me!"

Natsume pleasantly kicked him from under the table.

"Ouch, hey!" The squawk from the senior made Natsume smirk but it immediately froze on his face at the sound of his name.

"Natsume?" Mikan was looking at him strangely with Yoshida by her side. "What are you doing here?" She walked up toward him with her skirt swishing against her thighs. It was one of those rare days when she decided to leave her hair down rather than keep them in those ridiculous pigtails she liked so much. Natsume thought she looked damn fine. "I thought you didn't like it here," she said with one of her eyebrows raised.

Natsume scowled away from the smirk on the Maze Alice's face. "It's not so bad." The waitress put his tea down in front of him and Mikan's eyes widened with surprise. He pushed the tea toward her and muttered gruffly. "I got this for you."

"Black Chai tea?" she said softly, curiously.

"With honey on the side," he finished tonelessly.

A pink blush stole across her cheeks before she took the proffered seat next to him. Her eyes were wide before she grinned. "Thanks, Natsume!" She cupped her hands around the cup to warm her hands and looked to Natsume's left. "Hi Tono-senpai! This is my friend Mizuki-chan! Mizuki, this is Tono-senpai."

"Hi!"

The girl was really cute, Tono thought vaguely. She had dark purple hair that complemented her coal black eyes. She was much taller than Mikan, perhaps a third of a foot and she had a slim waist, high cheekbones and pale skin. The shadows of a smirk on her lips piqued Tono's interest. Too bad it was ridiculously obvious she was in love with Mikan.

"Hey Natsume," Mizuki said with a grin as she sat gracefully next to Mikan and brushed her hand against Mikan's elbow. "Thanks for letting Mikan-chan sleepover in my room yesterday." The smirk was almost a permanent fixture on her face when she draped an arm across the back of Mikan's chair. "It gets so cold in my room and Mikan-chan warmed me right up. I kinda like waking up to her cute face in my bed, don't you?"

Natsume's face darkened.

Mikan brightened and waved her hands in the air. "I don't sleep over at Natsume's!"

"You don't?" Mizuki said with a pleased grin. "I see. Well you're always welcome to sleepover with me! We're girls, right? So it's okay!"

The gears in Tono's head turned as images of what would normally be deemed 'perverted' if a guy did it was performed by a girl. His throat closed up and his mouth went dry.

Mikan nodded enthusiastically before turning to her boyfriend. "You should see all of the clothes she has in her closet, Natsume! She has _everything._"

Mizuki shrugged casually. "You like them? If you want, you can sleepover tonight and we can play dress-up." Her black eyes darted over to Natsume's crimson before another deadly smile crossed her lips. "I can help you put on the really complicated dresses I have."

"Really?" Mikan's eyes were wide with excitement. Her eyes dulled like she was dreaming about what the dresses could possibly look on her.

"Holy shit," Tono breathed tightly.

Natsume's fists clenched on the table. "Actually, Polka Dots, we're going on a date tonight."

Mikan blinked in surprise. "We are?"

Mizuki looked at him from the corner of her eyes and shrugged. "That's fine. She can sleepover when you guys are done."

Natsume's eyes narrowed. "You don't get it, do you, Yoshida? It'll be a late date."

"I _like _the sound of that," Tono whistled, nudging Natsume in the side with a wink.

"How late can a date go unless you're planning on having her sleepover?" Mizuki pressed casually, ignoring the senior and glaring at Natsume. "From what I heard earlier, Mikan doesn't sleepover at your place."

"She doesn't sleepover at my place," Natsume responded tightly, clenching the fist he settled on the table. "But that doesn't stop me from sleeping at hers."

The statement was met by a stunned silence.

Mikan merely added the honey to her tea as she listened half-heartedly to the conversation.

"B-but…she's a one star!" Mizuki raised her voice in surprise. "Her bed is tiny!"

"Hey!" Mikan squawked.

Natsume smirked here and pushed Mizuki's arm away from Mikan's chair before his arm draped over and took her spot. "Exactly. She gets cold at night, you see…being a Fire Alice, I can warm her right up."

Tono laughed when Mizuki merely clenched her jaw.

-;-

"Natsume, why are you humming that ridiculous song from Jay-Z?"

* * *

_Thanks for the reviews for last chapter, guys. You all had really great suggestions but this was the one that struck me the hardest. :) One more drabble!  
_**Redenzione**: Your prompt is going to be made into an entirely separate oneshot so look out for it sometime soon. :)  
_Btw, if you liked Mizuki Yoshida, stay tuned for my newest chaptered NatsumeMikan fic. It's gonna be craaaazy! I'm going to try to finish _**Just the Hormones Talking**_ and _**Footprints**_ before I start seriously writing it, but perhaps I'll post the first chapter so you guys get a little taste. It's going to be _so _legit, you guys don't even know. AH! askdfjoaudhiasdfha! Put me on your alerts! _:D_  
_


	50. With a Bang

**Title: **With a Bang  
**Prompt:** #40 – explosion  
**Characters: **Natsume, Ruka, Koko, Mikan  
**Genres: **Romance/Adventure  
**Disclaimer: **This is the scene depicted in the first or second episode of Gakuen Alice. I just added a little touch to it to give Natsume motive and to share his side of things. All his thoughts are speculation so tell me what _you _think happened to make Natsume do this.**  
Author's Note: **Every ending has a beginning. This is the end of _The Space Between Dream and Reality_ so I hope, for the last time, you enjoy! :) **  
**

-;-

-;-

He remembers the first day he meets her and the memory makes him want to laugh and think, _of course. _

_-;-  
_

The plan had a lot of flaws but he was done with the Academy. He couldn't stand this place. The teachers all looked at him with pity like they understood what he was going through. The other students were so fucking ignorant, annoying and naïve. Everything about the place pissed him off. Their glee and their happiness were all a lie.

And Persona…well there were a thousand ways Natsume wanted _him _to die.

He felt like a caged bird… like a mouse whose only way of escape was blocked by thousands of traps… like a horse with its front legs tied and its back legs cut off. There was just no escape here. There was no freedom. He couldn't breathe at this fucking Academy.

_Aoi…_

"Natsume…" Ruka looked at him with soulful blue eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

It was a rhetorical question.

He'd been planning this with him for weeks now. After several botched up attempts at escaping the Academy, it was obvious to the both of them that there was a slim chance he would actually make it to the outside world for more than a few hours before the Academy captured him once more. He just… needed to feel the freedom on his tongue again, just to know it was there. He wasn't going to leave forever. He needed to stay for Aoi after all. But he needed an escape, temporarily at the very least.

He looked at Ruka solemnly from their perch on the roof before he trained his eyes on the sky. "We'll do it right after classes when everybody's leaving. None of the teachers will think I'm missing until tomorrow morning. That will give me plenty of time to get my fill. I'll send our letters, too." He could feel Ruka's concern in the energy pulsing between them. "You won't have to worry about anything. Just watch the teacher's building. I'll be brought there if I'm caught. Keep your animals watching. I'll need you to come get me as soon as possible."

"I'll get you, Natsume," Ruka said loyally, hugging Usagi close. "You can count on me."

_I know. _

His muscles were taut with expectation and the ache between his ears was beginning to make him go insane. He shouldn't be putting Ruka up to this. He shouldn't be dragging him down into the darkness with him… but Natsume knew Ruka would just have that look of hurt on his face again if he tried to escape the Academy without telling him and the last thing Natsume wanted Ruka to think was that he was abandoning him. Ruka had come here for _him_, after all.

They had to stick together.

But he had to see the outside just once more. Just once more.

He was going insane here. He just couldn't last without knowing there was a way… that there was something different for him outside these brick walls, high iron fences and surrounding Academy security. He needed some hope that there was something other than the bruises and welts that proved his slavery to the Academy…something other than this suffocation.

Natsume looked at his best friend from the corner of his eyes and said gruffly, "I'll come back. I won't be gone for long."

There was a pause and Ruka shifted his blue eyes from the sky over to him. "I know, Natsume," he said softly. "I'll wait for you. Just… don't hurt yourself if you can help it, ok?"

He looked at him, then, and begrudgingly nodded.

"Tomorrow, then," Ruka said slowly. "All right."

-;-

His body was on high alert at the resounding ring of the bell. The sound travelled through the walls and floor, slithered right up from the soles of his feet to his knees and ended at a constant vibration in his heart. Nothing had ever sounded so much like a death toll before. The two of them shared a look that made Koko's eyes meet theirs.

It grated on Natsume's nerves…this stupid little mind reader. Koko reared back a bit like he delivered a slap to his face. But brown eyes looked at him deliberately and something in the boy's eyes made him believe he wouldn't betray him. Natsume nodded to him, then turned to Ruka who was already standing and giving Koko a warning look.

"Let's go," he murmured lowly.

They walked from the elementary school branch down the road to the boy's dormitory until Natsume turned on the spot. Ruka gave him one long look before nodding. "Good luck."

Natsume merely turned from him and ran.

He knew exactly where he was going… what he was going to do. The path to the edge of the Academy was a long one. The first time he came to the gates, it took a ten minute car ride for them to reach any buildings. The memory was fleeting as he slowed to a walk. There were middle school students milling around aimlessly and the last thing he wanted to do was tip anybody off about his intentions.

He was notorious for making escape attempts from the Academy, after all.

Once the voices dulled, Natsume made his Alice thrum to warm up his muscles once more before his slow jog turned into a full out run. He could feel the two letters taped to his chest like an extra, awkward limb. It would take him approximately forty minutes to make it to the front gate of the Academy without calling suspicion to himself. He pushed his arms harder, breathed deeper and could feel his muscles ache with the effort. It was a feeling he relished.

His mind blurred with thoughts of duty and responsibility.

What was he doing?

He had to come back for Aoi and Ruka. He couldn't possibly leave Aoi to the clutches of Persona. He couldn't possibly leave Ruka alone in this place. _What was he doing? _

_I'll leave for a bit… just to show them I can leave as easily as I got here. Put them in their place_.

He wasn't kidding anyone.

His feet slowed when the gates to the Academy came into view. His heart was thrumming in his chest and the sight of the security guard with his hands on some random kid outside of _his _world made a flash of red streak across his vision. _Pulling another kid into this hell hole, huh? _The bitterness in his mouth made him swing up onto the closest tree branch of one of the surrounding trees. He continued to climb, jumping from one tree to the next, until he was hovering just within the Academy grounds. Just one tall brick wall and an iron fencing lining the top separated him from the outside world.

He could taste freedom on the tip of his tongue.

It was still bitter.

From his perch on the tree, he tensed the muscles in his legs before concentrating all of the warmth from his body into his hands. It was a quick process. He was told his concentration was impeccable. His eyes flashed open at the image of Persona behind his eyes and without warning, his body flared with heat, only adding to the inferno beginning to blaze from his hands. With a determined gleam in his eyes, Natsume aimed his anger at the top of the wall and fired.

The sound of the wall exploding almost deafened him… it was earth-shattering and turbulent and completely rattled his bones… but he jumped into the smoke before his cover was no longer obstructed.

There were raised voices and the sound of a girlish scream before he felt a sharp pain on the side of his face.

_Fuck!_

Knocked off balance, it took the quick arch of his back from making him fall on his head. His knees and chin hurt from where he'd bounced off the cement and the taste of blood in his mouth made him want to choke. _What the hell was that?_

He struggled to get to his feet until he heard a soft, reluctant voice ask, "Hey… are you a-all right?"

His eyes flashed upwards only to find a pair of large, sincere brown eyes, pale white skin, a childish button nose and two ridiculous brown pigtails on the sides of her head.

_What the hell?_

-;-

"Narumi-sensei blew you a kiss and you fainted." There is an unmistakable edge of amusement in his girlfriend's voice.

Natsume glares at her but she merely sticks her tongue out cheekily._ Fuck, I love her. _

He remembers the first day he meets her and the memory makes him want to laugh and think, _of course. _

He should have known, at that moment, they would end up like this someday.

It is him and her… Natsume Hyuuga and Mikan Sakura, how could they not work when there was always so much fucking _chemistry?_

After all, they'd started off with a bang.

**…and the rest is still unwritten…**

* * *

_I've always known I wanted to finish off TSBDAR with this story. :) Thanks a lot for taking the time to read all of these chapters! I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for your faves and reviews and everything else you've given me throughout this year and a half journey. I really do appreciate it. Well… that's the end of that. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

_Maybe for old time's sake, you can tell me what you think and point out the oneshot/drabbles you liked best. _:D

-MHR

Completed: June 20th, 2011


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